


Emotion in Motion

by taitofan



Series: Vaughn-and-Skye-are-Brothers-verse [1]
Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon DS Cute, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Genre: M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2017-12-06 01:43:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/730205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taitofan/pseuds/taitofan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cliff just can't seem to find what he's looking for...until he meets a handsome Phantom Thief. Could the lonely man be what Skye needs too...?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Some days Cliff wasn’t sure why he’d decided to stay.  Why he’d taken up Jack’s offer to harvest grapes, why he’d accepted working full time for Duke, why he’d said yes when Ann asked if he’d continue to stay at the Inn…  He liked Mineral Town, really he did, and he’d never felt more accepted in his entire life than he did by the friends he’d made there.  That was exactly the problem though.  His life was better than ever…yet there was still _so much_ they didn’t know about him.

It seemed that the closer he was to the villagers, the worse off he was.  Duke and Manna kept wondering when he was planning to settle down and take a wife; Doug did too, he just hinted even more heavily than they did that he should choose Ann.  As for the redhead herself…

It seemed that Cliff always felt horrible whenever he was around her those days.  She loved him—there was no doubt about that.  She blushed and stuttered and was generally very not-Ann-like around him.  She brought him lunch at work, told him constantly how much she loved having him stay there, and worst of all, she kept mentioning the blue feather for sale at Jeff’s store.  He was lucky that his shy nature kept her from being too brash, or he was sure she’d have proposed to _him_ by then.   If that happened, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

He hated making people upset, and turning down a proposal was perhaps the biggest upset of all.  He couldn’t love her though, not the way she wanted.  He loved her the same way he had his little sister, and despite being one of his best friends, he didn’t think he could bring himself to pretend to love her enough to marry her.  It wasn’t fair to either of them anyway.

The last of his close friends was Carter, though Cliff didn’t see him nearly as much since he began working at the winery.  The priest had tried to get him and Ann together in the start, but he seemed to have sensed that it wasn’t going to work.  Cliff wasn’t sure if Carter had the right reasons for backing down, and neither of them said anything about it, but he was grateful either way.

Currently it was Saturday, his day off.  The night before, Ann had been particularly interested in trying to convince him to go to the mountain with her, and he’d decided even before he’d gone to sleep that the next day he’d leave before she awoke and finally check out Forget-Me-Not Valley.  It was the only other large establishment on the island, and in the year he’d lived in Mineral Town he’d never once been there.  Well, if it meant he’d go another day without having to break Ann’s heart, it was worth checking out.

He knew he couldn’t keep lying to her and everyone else forever, but until the time was right, he had to keep trying.

\---

As it turned out, the walk to the valley took two hours, and Cliff imagined that if he hadn’t traveled for years, the walk would have killed him.  He’d first gone to the valley’s inn and introduced himself, fully planning to stay the night.  The owner, a kind woman named Ruby, had welcomed him warmly and allowed him to use the phone to call Mineral Town.  As he’d expected, Ann was frantic.  He pushed away the guilt he’d felt when she confessed she had thought he’d left for good, telling her that he just needed to get away for the day.  She hadn’t been happy, but she let it go.

He ended up spending the day wandering around, shyly introducing himself here and there when spoken to.  The few he met were friendly, but for the most part they left him alone.  Most of the day was spent near a waterfall, which soothed his mind as he tried to sort through his mangled thoughts.  Everyone had the right to know…  But he didn’t know if he could take the chance at losing everything as he had when he’d told his family the very same secret.

He left the waterfall close to midnight, still no closer to a solution than when he’d arrived.

Despite the time, Cliff found that he just wasn’t tired.  He probably could have walked back to Mineral Town at that point, but he knew it would be rude to wake up Ann or Doug to let him in at two in the morning.  No, he decided to wander about until fatigue set in, sleep at Ruby’s inn, and leave bright and early in the morning to make it back before work.  Yes, that would work…

Cliff eventually took a path that led him to a small area past the main part of the valley.  Whoever lived there was obviously very wealthy, judging by the looks of their mansion and highly decorated fountain.  He stared at it in awe, knowing he’d never have enough money to live in a place like that, no matter how long he worked.  Not that he didn’t like the inn and their hospitality, but he’d be happy just to own a house one day.

The suddenly click of a door carefully being shut met his ears.  He watched as a man about his age with silver hair and clothes that looked very out of place in such a rural community—was that _leopard_ print?—slinked out of the mansion, clutching something to his chest.  Was… was he witnessing a theft?  Or was this just an occupant sneaking out after curfew?

He didn’t get the chance to think too hard about it before the mysterious man noticed that he wasn’t alone.  His eyes widened for but a second before he put on a self-assured grin and flicked his hair with his free hand, the bracelets on his wrist clinking together as he did so.  He laughed softly before taking a few steps toward Cliff, now close enough for him to see his face.  The man’s green eyes almost sparkled with arrogance, and suddenly Cliff knew that somehow, things were going to get interesting.

“Hello, beautiful.  Walking alone tonight?”  Cliff felt his whole body tense at those words.  Was he…  Was he _flirting_ with him?  When was the last time anyone had flirted with him…?  Anyone who wasn’t Ann at least.  The peculiar man didn’t wait for an answer, instead taking another step closer and lowering his eyelids in an attempt to, what Cliff assumed, look sexier.  He gulped, wanting to look away, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to do it.  “Cat got your tongue, beautiful?  Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.  You know…   I’m quite a ladies’ man, and a prince of the stars.  You’ll let me go without telling anyone, won’t you?  It’s not every day someone with such natural beauty takes my interest after all.”

Cliff really didn’t know what to say.  Did this man even realize he wasn’t talking to a woman?  Sure, Cliff knew he was a little bit on the feminine side when it came to his looks, but no one had ever actually mistaken him for a girl.  Well, he wasn’t under the light himself, he hoped the man just couldn’t see too well in the dark…  And…  What in the world was a _prince of the stars_ anyway?

“…My name is Cliff.”  Those bright green eyes widened for a second time that night, and Cliff felt his face heat up.  He really had been mistaken for a woman…  Great, just great.

The man opened his mouth to say something, but they were interrupted by a door suddenly being thrown open and a young woman rushing out towards them.  She glared at the man, and Cliff was now positive that he was dealing with a thief.

“You!  You’re that famous thief who always warns his victims about his crimes ahead of time, aren’t you?  I had a feeling that letter I found this morning was from you…  Now give back what you stole or you’ll be sorry!”  The man didn’t look very afraid of this dainty rich girl, but there was obviously the threat of others getting involved if she screamed loud enough…  The man gave Cliff a long glance that he didn’t quite know what to make of before turning to her and putting on the exact same smile he used earlier.

“Terribly sorry, but I’m a bit pressed for time and simply _must_ be going now.  You understand, don’t you?”  He turned back to Cliff, that arrogant grin melting away back into an expression that he couldn’t name.  “Please, call me Phantom Skye.  I have a feeling we’ll meet again…  It’s written in the stars.”  He turned to leave then, but the girl was already headed towards them, an angry look on her face.

“Wait a minute you!  Don’t you dare run away!”  Skye stopped, and the look he’d given Cliff twice now was once again replaced with that flirty look he’d first received.  The girl stopped in her tracks once it was directed towards her.

“Hold up, beautiful.  Don’t let your beauty be marred by such raw anger.”  With that, he finally turned and fled.

The girl was so flustered that she didn’t move until he was out of sight.  She ran a few steps before stopping and sighing.  Her face was flushed, which only darkened once she remembered that she had an audience.

“Huh, he sure is a smooth talker…  He got away so easily…”  She paused and giggled as she no doubt remembered the look he’d given her.  “That Phantom Skye is so cool!”  Cliff didn’t say a thing to the poor disillusioned girl.  That thief, Skye…  He’d only used his charms to get away from her.  He hoped she didn’t think it had meant anything…  “…Oh, I’m so sorry, you don’t even know me!  I’m Lumina.  I live here with my grandmother Romana and our butler Sebastian.  You must be from Mineral Town, right?”

“Y-yes, I’m Cliff.  Pleased to meet you Lumina.”   The girl probably wasn’t much younger than he was—likely Popuri’s age.  He knew some of the other inhabitants of Mineral Town came to the valley on a somewhat regular basis—Rick and Popuri, Doctor Trent, Mary…  He wondered if any of them had met the thief before…

Then he mentally scolded himself.  This wasn’t the time to be thinking of _that_.

“Likewise.  You must know Mary, right?  She’s a good friend of mine.  I believe she mentioned you once…  You work with wine, correct?”  He nodded, surprised Mary had ever brought him up.  He didn’t really talk to the quiet librarian.  If she weren’t his roommate’s girlfriend, they likely wouldn’t talk _at all_.

“Yes, Mary is dating Gray, my roommate, and I work at the winery…  A-and sorry I didn’t stop that thief.  I hope he didn’t take anything valuable.”  She looked proud of herself for remembering Mary’s words, and Cliff decided then that once he got back to town, he’d have to remember to say hello to her more often.

“It looked like he’d been in the kitchen, so I’m sure it wasn’t anything we can’t replace.  So please don’t worry about it.  I couldn’t stop him either.”  She sighed and shook her head, almost as if wondering why she let him get away…  Well, at least that meant she probably wasn’t going to pine over that man.  “Well, I won’t keep you any longer.  Good night, and please tell Mary I said hello!”  He assured her that he would, then he took his leave.  Fatigue was finally setting in…

He entered the inn, saying goodnight to Ruby when he passed her, then quietly made his way to the room he’d rented.  As he lay on the comfortable bed provided, he couldn’t help but replay his meeting with Skye.  The Phantom Thief…  He was… _beautiful_.

‘ _It doesn’t matter_ ,’ he thought glumly as he tried to wash the thoughts of the thief from his mind.  ‘ _He only flirted with me because he thought I was a girl…  I couldn’t get lucky enough to have a man fall for me for once…_ ’

And though it took a while, he finally entered a dreamless sleep, free from all thoughts of how to tell Ann he was gay and handsome thieves that just made the whole situation worse.

\---

“—and she was just about crying, the poor girl.  You really should have told her earlier Cliff!  How can something that important slip your mind?”

Cliff only half listened to Duke as they worked in the wine cellar.  It was spring, and work was much slower those days than when he’d first started.  Normally that wouldn’t be too bad, but his boss had been lecturing him about leaving for the valley without telling Ann all day long, and he was ready to go crazy.  He was just glad he’d lied and said he’d forgotten rather than admit he’d gone without telling her on purpose.  He’d never hear the end of _that_!

“And another thing—”

“Duke, you let that poor boy go right now!  It’s time to close up and you haven’t let off him since he got here.  Honestly, you know he didn’t mean to hurt her.  You really should—”

Sometimes Manna’s rambling could get tedious, but he was immensely glad for her intervention that day.  He quickly said his goodbyes—which were ignored as the couple was far too engaged in arguing to pay attention to him—and practically sprinted down the road.  The last thing he need right then was to listen to them fight about him and Ann.  Wasn’t it bad enough that the moment he’d woken up he had to fret about everything all over again?  There’d been no one in town who’d interested him, so telling her why he couldn’t return her feelings hadn’t been quite as urgent.  But Skye…!  He couldn’t stop thinking about him it seemed.  It was ridiculous, he knew, but…

He stopped suddenly as he realized he’d made it to the church without consciously knowing he was even going that way.  He’d always gone to the church after work when he’d first gotten the job, but as Ann’s feelings ran deeper and he felt more and more guilty as the days went on, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to go as often.  Carter always said that the Harvest King and Harvest Goddess loved all of their children though…

‘ _Maybe this is a sign_ …’

His mind made up, Cliff pushed open the doors and stepped inside the holy building, a familiar man standing behind the podium.

“Cliff!  Hello, it’s certainly been a while!  How are you these days?”  Cliff shut the door behind him and walked closer until he could sit on the front pew before the priest.

“Carter, I…  I’m not really all that fine.  I’m having problems, but I really don’t know if I can talk about them…”  The priest smiled warmly at the nervous young man, remembering how utterly withdrawn he used to be.  Cliff had gained much more confidence since those days, but it always seemed like there was something holding him back from truly being at peace…

“Go on, you can tell me and fear no judgment.  Unless you’d like to step into the confession booth?”  Cliff, despite all his feelings, had to smile at that.  Carter had told him once how he thought confession was rather silly when there was only one priest in a small town where everyone knew everyone else, but some people liked it, so he kept it open.

“No, that’s all right.  It’s just that I…  It’s…  Ann.  It seems everyone wants me to marry her, including _her_ , but I…  I just can’t…”  Carter had thought as much.  He too remembered trying to set them up one day, but after seeing how uncomfortable it made Cliff, he’d never tried it again.

“There’s someone else, isn’t there?”  Cliff looked even more nervous, and he knew he was right.  “Who is he?”  Cliff opened his mouth to respond, only to have it snap back up with an audible click.  His nervousness was immediately replaced with fear.  Carter sighed; didn’t Cliff know him better than that?

“I…  I’m not—!”

“It’s okay Cliff, you don’t have to hide it from me.  I always could sense that there was something special about you.  The King and Goddess find no fault in you, and neither do I.  I want you to be happy, and right now I think it will make you feel much better if you tell me what’s on your mind.”

The fear was gone, relief in its place.  It was a much nicer sight.

Then it was as if a dam broke open; Cliff began to talk, starting with how he’d come out to his widowed mother and sister, only to be rejected by his mother.  His sister, being too young to understand, hadn’t said anything.  He’d left and traveled, only to find his mother had died while he’d been gone, and his sister was nowhere to be found.  He’d traveled more, eventually coming to Mineral Town, where Carter knew the story already.  But it didn’t stop there.  He told about how hard it was that everyone wanted him to marry a woman he only loved as a sister, and how he didn’t want to break her heart though it was inevitable.  He spoke of his brief crush on Gray when he’d first moved to town, before he’d started dating Mary.  Then he got to the night before…

“His name is Skye, and I _know_ he’s a thief, but I can’t stop thinking about him.  I can’t be in love with him, I don’t even _know_ him, but I _want_ to… _I don’t want to be alone anymore_.”

Carter waited a few moments to make sure Cliff was finished before stepping from the podium and walking towards the younger man.  Then he hoisted him up and enveloped him in a hug.  Cliff tensed for a few moments before allowing himself to relax.

“You are a good man, and you have been very patient.  I know you don’t want to hurt Ann, but you need to think of your own happiness sometimes.  Besides, it sounds like this thief isn’t beyond redemption.  You should continue to visit the valley and see if you can meet with him again.  Perhaps it would be best for both of you.”

Cliff didn’t know if it would work.  Skye was probably straight, and just because he’d finally told someone he was gay didn’t necessarily mean he’d have to courage to do it again anytime soon.  Still, he trusted Carter, and if he thought it was worth a shot, he’d give it a try…

If nothing else, he wanted to see that handsome man one more time.

\---

It was nine pm; the stars were just beginning to shine brightly.  In a small cabin in the woods between Forget-Me-Not Valley and Mineral Town, a lone young man stood among pots and pans, looking around with frustration in his green eyes.  Skye was _not_ having a good night.  He’d just _acquired_ some great ingredients from the mansion in the valley just the night before, and now he was burning them all up!  And why…?

“Cliff,” he muttered as he tossed out yet another burnt curry dish.  “I can’t believe I actually mistook a guy for a pretty girl…  Not that he wasn’t pretty too…  Oh Skye, get a hold of yourself!”  He finally gave up.  If he kept trying that night, he’d only waste away everything else he’d taken too, and his sense of honor wouldn’t allow him to get anything more without leaving a note the night before for the residents to see when they awoke.  It looked like he’d be doing it again sooner rather than later though.

Skye wanted to be a chef.  He wanted to make curry.  He wanted to find a beautiful wife who’d love him for who he was, not how he looked.  Now he had left his home in the city at the age of twenty-three with no money, ended up living in the middle of nowhere with minimal electricity, and had to resort to stealing just to try to further his dream so he could actually make something of himself one day.  As for the wife thing…  If the younger women of Forget-Me-Not Valley were any indication, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.  True, he’d stuck to stealing from the valley so he could hopefully move to Mineral Town one day where no one knew him, but now…

Now he wasn’t so sure.  He knew that man he saw last night didn’t live in the valley, and occasionally he heard people walking down the dirt path outside the woods when he was out foraging for herbs.  To his knowledge, the only places to live on the island were the village and the valley…  If someone from the town had seen him, who knew how safe it would be there?  Would Cliff even bother thinking twice about a petty thief though?

He groaned when he realized his thoughts had turned to the other man yet again.

“Why can’t I stop thinking about him…?  This isn’t like me…”  For all of Skye’s bravado around girls, he really didn’t know how to express himself when it came to emotions resembling love.  True, there was no way he could fall in love in less than a day, but he knew that he was attracted to that man in _some_ form.

The problem was, he’d never been attracted to another male a day in his life, and he didn’t even know where he lived or _anything_ really, other than that his name was Cliff.  Yet, he was burning food he could normally make in his sleep because those purple eyes _just wouldn’t get out of his mind_.

“Maybe it’s nothing and I’ll forget about him…”  He glanced over at the trash bin full of burnt curry and winced.  “Or maybe not.”

He stared out the tiny window in the cabin, gazing up at the tiny stars that dotted the darkened sky.  The stars…  Fate, destiny.  Was this all in the cards?  Was he meant to meet Cliff, fall in love with him, and finally find the person who’d love him for more than his looks?  He didn’t know, but it was entirely possible.  There could be a reason he’d never met the right girl, and if he was finding himself attracted to someone, why should he care if he’d never felt that way about the same gender before?

“…I shouldn’t.  Why should I care what anyone else thinks?  If I can make Cliff fall in love with me…  Maybe I can get out of here.  Maybe I can finally find what I’m missing in life.”

Skye might not have necessarily wanted to be a thief, but now he was determined to successfully steal at least one thing…

Cliff’s heart.


	2. Chapter 2

A week went by, and not for one day did that silver hair and those green eyes leave Cliff’s mind.  He wondered if it was unreasonable to be so infatuated after one brief meeting, but at that point, he didn’t really care.  He’d gone back to his regular visits to the church, and Carter had made sure he didn’t lose his nerve to keep an eye out for the Phantom Thief on his trip.

He still hadn’t confessed to Ann though.

Carter let that one slide for the time being, telling him to focus on making _himself_ happy for the moment.  Maybe he didn’t know Skye enough _yet_ , but he couldn’t just stand around miserable without trying.  If he was rejected, he was rejected.  He’d never know if he stayed away from the valley though.  Therefore, when Saturday rolled around, he left a note telling Ann and Doug he was leaving for the day and set out before anyone else in the town was awake.

It was still early once he got to the valley.  No one was out as he walked past the large produce farm, passing where the waterfall he hoped to visit again was.  It stayed perfectly deserted until he reached the bridge leading into the main part of the valley.

A beautiful blonde woman was standing on the bridge, looking down into the river with worry in her big green eyes.  She looked up when she heard footsteps, a surprised look on her face when she noticed it was a stranger.

“Oh, hi there.  My name is Muffy.  You must be Cliff, right?  The one who helped out Lumina last weekend?”  He nodded, assuming the valley must not get many visitors if she could guess who he was just by that.  “Oh, this is wonderful!  She told everyone about how you met Phantom Skye last week, and just this morning there was a note at the bar where I work that he was going to—how did he put it…  _’Bless your bar with my presence tonight_.’  He’s really confident, that’s for sure!  I kinda like that…  But oh, if you could maybe help me and Griffin out tonight?  We’ll need help cornering him.”  Cliff wasn’t sure what to make of this sudden request.  Why ask _him_ when he’d only seen the thief once?  Of course, he didn’t mind in the least.  This was what he’d hoped for after all.  Luckily, his trip wasn’t going to be wasted.

 “Leave it to me,” he assured her, a kind smile on his face, “and I’ll help you stop the thief.  What time should I came to the bar?”

“Around ten tonight,” Muffy answered, delighted with his easy compliance.  “Oh, thank you Cliff!  Griffin and I will be depending on you!”  With that, she took her leave, and Cliff thought about what he’d just agreed to.  Sure, he’d wanted to run into Skye again, but he hadn’t even thought about what he’d do!  He couldn’t just come out and confess he hadn’t stopped thinking about him, or admit how handsome he was.

With a sigh, he trudged back towards the direction of the waterfall, hoping he’d think of _something_ to say before the night fell.

\---

Skye had been out in the woods early that morning, looking for wild grasses he could use in his curry dishes, when he heard someone walking down the dirt path leading from Mineral Town to Forget-Me-Not Valley.  And low-and-behold, it was his lucky day.

“Cliff,” he whispered, mesmerized by how the man looked in the daylight.  It was certainly impossible to mistake him for a woman when he could see him clearly, that was sure.  And this proved that he was indeed from Mineral Town.  Skye considered leaving the safety of the tree line and talking to him, but he decided against it.  No, there was another way…

Knowing every shortcut that the forest had to offer, he quickly headed back to his cabin, deposited the herbs he’d found and scribbled a note before quickly leaving again and sprinting to the valley.  He knew no one would be out at that hour, and he was able to reach the bar, stick the note under the door, and get back to forest before anyone even opened their front doors to start their day.

Confident that fate would bring Cliff and himself together again that night, he returned to his cabin at a much more leisurely pace. He’d put his master plan into effect that night, but for now, he needed to go back to foraging.

\---

“Oh, Cliff!  So good of you to come!”  It was just after ten, and Cliff had entered the bar as soon as he’d thought he wouldn’t look _too_ eager.  He really didn’t want to answer any awkward questions.

“The phantom’s not here yet…”  Cliff looked at the other man behind the bar, who he assumed was Griffin.  Probably the owner, he decided.

“I’m sure he will be soon,” he offered, though in reality he was more wishing it than anything.  He hadn’t thought of what to say _exactly_ , but he was filled with a rare determination to at least learn something, _anything_ about the mysterious thief.  If he could at least figure out if Skye was worth pursuing, he’d count it as a victory.

Muffy opened her mouth to reply, only to stop as a strong smell suddenly hit her nose.  Griffin noticed his girlfriend’s actions and did the same.  Following in suit, Cliff immediately knew the aroma.  It was the same scent of his favorite food in the world…

“Is that curry?”  Muffy finally asked, her mouth watering a little.  “It sure smells good…”  Griffin nodded, a hungry look on his face.

“We should check it out…  Will you guard the place while we’re gone Cliff?”  The duo didn’t wait for his reply as they left the bar in search of the delicious, yet out of place smell.  It was odd, Cliff decided.  A bit _too_ odd to be a coincidence…

His skepticism paid off.  Almost as soon as they were gone, the door opened up again, and in walked the Phantom Thief himself.  Cliff worked hard to keep his face its normal color at the pleased look on the thief’s face, not knowing it was there because Skye was glad to see Cliff had indeed showed up.

“Well well, we meet again my darling Cliff.  Do you suppose fate has drawn us together yet again?”   Skye shut the door behind himself as he stepped further into the bar and closer still to Cliff.  This was the first time Cliff had gotten to see him in the light…  He was still oddly dressed, but he overlooked that.  He wasn’t exactly the height of fashion either.

“Y-yes, it must be fate…”  Cliff was sure Skye was teasing him, but the suave words affected him all the same.  Skye merely smiled at the answer, feeling his cheeks flush just slightly.  Odd…  No girl he’d ever met had been able to make him react like that…

“It makes me very happy to hear such words from a beautiful _maiden_ such as yourself.”  Before Cliff could protest that he was certainly _not_ a maiden, in any sense of the term, Skye was walking closer.  “Teasing aside, if you’d be so kind as to hold still for a moment…”

Cliff didn’t know what to expect, but having Skye give him such an intense look and yell “ _CHICK-BEAM…FIRE_!” certainly wasn’t it.  He _definitely_ hadn’t planned on not being able to move his body afterwards.  Cliff started to panic, missing the unhappy look that flitted across Skye’s face.  He hated having to use that spell on someone like Cliff, but at the same time, he was glad it worked.  He’d never used it on a guy before, but since he knew it didn’t work on women with no interest in him, perhaps he stood a chance…

“Just relax, it’ll wear off soon enough,” Skye assured him as he closed the short distance between them.  Cliff was frowning at his predicament, but oddly, he didn’t look all that mad.  More disappointed.  He reached out his hand to lightly brush the back of it against Cliff’s cheek, smiling a bit more softly when that very skin reddened seconds later.  Interesting…

Skye reluctantly pulled away and headed behind the bar, searching for any suitable cooking ingredients he could find.  Cliff was the reason he’d burnt up half of his last batch, so he figured he might as well pick up more while he was there.

Cliff could only just manage to turn his head enough to see Skye pawing through things.  Even someone without the least bit of interest in him could admit that Skye was an attractive man, and he certainly knew how to manipulate people.  What he didn’t understand was why with his looks and talents he’d chosen to become a _thief_ of all things.  He still wasn’t sure if Skye’s flirting was only to throw him off guard or sincere, but he wondered if he could get a few answers…

“Why are you a thief anyway?  Can’t you do better than this?”  Skye paused for merely a moment before he went back to digging through drawers and opening cabinets.

“I don’t know why,” he lied, adding a teasing tone to his voice to make Cliff think he was just being difficult.  He’d never told anyone about his dreams to be a chef, not since his parents had laughed at the very notion of their son being a lowly cook.  He might be infatuated by Cliff, but he wasn’t about to give him that information yet.

“Is it just for fun then?”  Cliff sounded a bit angry then, and Skye supposed he couldn’t blame him.  A thief without some sort of noble cause wasn’t a very popular profession with one’s peers.  Skye fully believed in fate though and knew in his heart that the day would come when he’d be out of the business.  Maybe even with Cliff.  He just had to be patient.

“That might be it, and it might _not_ be it.”  He glanced back and saw the confusion on the other man’s face, then laughed softly to himself.  He was cute no matter what his expression it seemed.  “You want to know more about me, don’t you…?  But if I just tell you, that will take all of the mystique out of our relationship.”

“W-what relationship…?”  He ignored Cliff’s nervous question—not picking up on the fact there was a slight hint of hope mixed in—and continued.

“But if you really want to know…  Catch me.  Then I’ll tell you anything you want.”

“ _That’s odd…  I could have sworn that great smell was coming from out here…”_

 _“Yeah…but let’s go back to the bar before that thief shows up_.”

The sound of Muffy and Griffin from outside didn’t allow for any more conversation between the pair.  Skye grabbed a paper bag off a sideboard and threw in everything he’d found.  He walked to the door, turning around to give Cliff one last smile.

“Sorry, but it seems I’m pressed for time yet again.  We’ll have to continue next time we bump into each other.”  He turned back to the door and went to open it, pausing once his hand reached the knob.  “You know, you’re the only man I’ve ever used my beam on.”

He was out the door then, closing it softly and slipping out to a destination to which Cliff was unaware.  If he’d been confused before, now he was downright baffled.  Skye…  What was going on with him?  Did he honestly act this way with all the girls?  He’d been quick to get away from Lumina the last time, but he didn’t seem to want to leave when it was just the two of them.  And what was with that beam?  Why did he bother to tell him that it was the first time using it on a man?  Could he really…?

‘ _I don’t want to hold any false hope, but that was all so odd…  Could I have a chance after all?_ ’

“Cliff, we’re back!”  He looked up to see Muffy and Griffin come back in, and right at that moment the paralysis wore off.  He stumbled back a few steps as his equilibrium returned, causing the two to give him shocked looks.  “Oh no, he already came didn’t he?”

“How did you…?”  Muffy blushed at the memory of the first time she’d encountered that thief.

“He can paralyze anyone with even the slightest bit of attraction to him, whether they’re married or dating or single…  I’ve never heard of him using it on a guy, but most of the girls here have been under his spell at least once since he started showing up about a half a year ago.”  She flashed him an embarrassed smile.  “Sorry we left you all alone like that.  Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”  Well, physically at least.  He was still confused out of his mind, but at least Muffy hadn’t asked any questions about why the beam had worked on him.  “I don’t think he took much either…”  Griffin moved to the bar, looking over the ransacked drawers and cupboards, nodding.

“No, only a few things, nothing that expensive.  Strange guy…  He never seems to take anything important, and no one knows why.  That’s probably the only reason someone like Vesta hasn’t tried hunting him down yet…”  Well, it seemed the people of the valley didn’t know much more about Skye than he did, and they’d been dealing with him a lot longer than he had.  He did wonder one thing though…

“Does he flirt with girls all the time?  Lumina seemed almost happy to see him get away…”  They didn’t know that it was really _him_ that Skye had paid more attention to, not Lumina.  He wasn’t going to tell them either.

“Sometimes when he needs to get away,” Muffy explained, having gone through it herself.  “But not for long.  He uses his beam to get away more often, and the girl’s attraction slows them down more than anything he says.  It’s just a few words and then he’s gone!”  So, he wasn’t known for, well, any of the things that’d happened to him that night.  It seemed maybe luck was on his side after all…

“I see…”

“It’s getting late,” Griffin said, having a feeling there was more going on that Cliff was letting on. But it really wasn’t any of his business, so he didn’t bring it up.   “Thanks for helping out Cliff.  You should go get a good night’s sleep at the inn so you can get home to your own family bright and early in the morning.”  Muffy nodded, thanking him once more and wishing him a good night.

Cliff gave his own goodbyes before setting off to the inn.  He wasn’t exactly tired, but he didn’t feel up to walking around aimlessly either.  Up in his room, Cliff laid on his bed and thought over the night’s events.  Had it been a victory…?  Well, Muffy said Skye didn’t bother with excessive flirting…

He smiled to himself.  Yes, he’d count it as a victory.  It seemed that Skye was at least _somewhat_ sincere, and if he wanted Cliff to catch him, well, the chase was on.

\---

Work didn’t start until ten o’clock, but Cliff liked being back in town early anyway, so he left promptly at six.  As he walked back to town though, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being watched.  Maybe even followed.  He tried to ignore it, but once he heard a twig snap, which certainly hadn’t been on the dirt path, he’d had enough.

“Who’s there?” he demanded, certainly not sounding like the shy man he normally was.  He soon got his answer as a familiar face stepped out from behind the tree line.  “S-Skye?”

“Ah Cliff, how lovely to see you.”  The thief looked tired, as if he wasn’t used to being awake so early.  “You should feel ashamed you know.  The thought of you kept me up all night.  I barely slept and decided to see if I could catch you on your way home.  Though, perhaps you should feel honored.  You’re the first one to see me up before ten in a long time…”  Well, being tired certainly didn’t take away from his arrogance…

“I-I see…  Would you… like to walk with me for a while?”  Skye looked surprised by the question, but quickly shrugged it off, a cool smile on his face.

“All right, but don’t think this counts as catching me.  I’ll run away if you try anything before I’ve had my beauty sleep.”  Cliff didn’t say anything as the thief fell into step beside him.  They walked at a rather slow pace—Skye because he was tired and Cliff because he wanted to stay with Skye as long as possible.  Eventually, Skye broke the silence though.  “It seems a pity to waste such an opportunity to chat with you.  Just because I won’t answer all of your questions doesn’t mean we can’t talk, you know.”

“I’m not very fun to talk to,” Cliff replied. There weren’t many people he could carry on meaningful conversations without getting too flustered.  He was honestly amazed he was keeping his cool with Skye.  “I’m too shy and get embarrassed too easily, and I can’t say anything when I’m like that.  I’m sure most people think I have no emotions…”  Skye glanced at Cliff, frowning slightly.

“I don’t think that at all.  You are very emotive from what I’ve seen.  You managed to talk to me last night despite your face clearly showing your embarrassment.”  Cliff felt his cheeks begin to burn at the observation.  “And why, look at that, you’re doing it again!”  The teasing voice normally would have clammed Cliff up, but now he found himself just wanting to hear it more.

“Thank you…”  Skye’s eyes widened at the unexpected thanks.  Cliff smiled at the look, deciding he liked it.  “I know this will sound strange, but…  I feel at ease with you.  Almost if I could tell you anything…”  The thief wasn’t sure what to say to that.  No one had ever said anything like that to him before.  Cliff really was making him feel things he never thought he’d feel with another man, but he found that he didn’t really mind.  “Can I ask you something?”

“You can, but I can’t guarantee I’ll answer.”  Right then, Skye thought he’d probably answer _anything_ though.

“I don’t know where you live, but I’m guessing it’s by yourself. You can’t live in the valley and I know you aren’t from Mineral Town…  So…  Do you ever get lonely?”  Cliff wasn’t sure why he asked such a thing, but he felt a bit guilty when Skye’s face suddenly darkened.  Great, things had been going so well and he’d ruined everything.  He was such a—

“Yes.”  The sudden answer cut off his mental berating.  “I live by myself between the two places.  I can’t tell you where but…  Yeah.  I get lonely.”

He stopped walking abruptly, and Cliff followed in suit.  The two young men looked at each other for a moment before Skye continued.

“How old are you?”  The question was rather unexpected, but it was answered nonetheless.

“Twenty-two.”

“Hmm.  I’m twenty-three.  I can’t claim I know what you’ve been through in your life, but I hope one day to learn.  You’re young, but you look lonely yourself…”  He took a step towards Cliff, pleased when the younger man stood his ground.  “Perhaps one day we won’t be lonely anymore…”  He moved in close, as if to kiss him, but stopped short and smirked.  “I’ll see you later, my dearest Cliff.”

No more was said as Skye turned around and headed back into the forest.  Cliff, his heart beating erratically from the older man’s actions, contemplated following him, but ultimately decided against it.  Skye would tell him when the time was right.  The fact that it seemed that time would indeed come made him feel happier than he had in a long time.

After a moment more of staring off towards the forest, he continued his walk back home.  His life was looking up immensely, and the sooner he got to work, the sooner he could get to the church and tell Carter that he may finally have a boyfriend one day soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday was officially Cliff’s favorite day of the week, and not because he didn’t have to work.  After his talk with Skye coming home the past Sunday, he couldn’t wait to see him again when his day off came about.  True, he didn’t know if Skye would pull a heist, but he assumed he would.  There was no doubt that there was an attraction between them.  He didn’t know the extent of it on Skye’s end, but he was sure it was enough for the thief to want to see him on the one day he could.

“Ah, excuse me!  You’re Cliff, right?”  And if this was about what he thought it would be, he was absolutely correct in thinking that.  He stopped and waited as two people, a blonde woman with who’d spoken and an older looking black-haired man, ran up to him.  Rather than feel apprehension at talking to two people he didn’t know, he smiled kindly at them.

“Yes, I’m Cliff.  Can I help you?”  They both nodded, looking at him with hopeful eyes through their glasses.

“You came at the perfect time,” the man explained.  “I’m Carter, and this is my assistant Flora.  We work up by the mine excavating.”

“A note from Phantom Skye came,” Flora added, and Cliff only smiled more.

“It says that around midnight he’ll be coming to help himself to the valuables in our tent.  I heard from Griffin that you helped him out with that two-bit, good-for-nothing, snake-in-the-grass thief last week…”

“And it will put us back if he steal our artifacts,” Flora cut in, not wanted to waste the young man’s time with the professor’s rants.

“I have a plan though.  If you lend us a hand, we can catch him for sure!  What do you say?”

For personal reasons, Cliff didn’t necessarily want Skye to be caught, but…

_“But if you really want to know…  Catch me.  Then I’ll tell you anything you want.”_

…Cliff wanted to know a _lot_.

“Of course, I’ll help you any way I can.”  The duo smiled at him gratefully.

“Thank you Cliff,” Flora beamed.  “Thank you so much!”

“Glad to hear it!  We’ll be waiting in our tent for you.  Come around ten tonight in case he’s early, alright?”  Cliff nodded, and they finally walked back to the direction they’d come from.  The direction where he’d have to go that night to see Skye…

As he walked happily into town to let Ruby know he’d be staying the night again, he couldn’t help but want the night to come soon.

\---

 “I’m sure it will just be a bit longer.”  Cliff had stopped believing Carter twenty _a-bit-longer_ s ago. He’d been sitting in Carter and Flora’s tent for an hour and nothing had happened.  True, the note had said midnight, but it wasn’t relieving his anxiety…

“Maybe he forgot about that note he sent,” Flora offered, though none of them really thought it was a viable possibility.  However, Carter’s eyes abruptly lit up, and a look of rage was quickly on his face.

“That dirty thief!” he exclaimed loudly, making both Cliff and Flora jump.  “He could be stealing goods from the dig site this very moment!  Flora, let’s move!  Cliff, stay here in case he comes this way!”  Carter was suddenly pulling a worried Flora out of the tent, leaving Cliff all alone.  He wasn’t sure why they’d leave anything important in the mines, but oh well.  Maybe Skye would come before they came back and…

“It’s about time they left.”  Cliff jumped for the second time in minutes at the familiar voice.  Turning around, he saw that is was indeed the person he’d been waiting for.  “Heh, I had a feeling we’d meet again tonight.  It’s fate.”

“I think you’re just stalking me,” Cliff said honestly, though he was smiling all the while.  Skye smirked a little wider at the accusation.

“I wouldn’t call it _stalking_ …  After all, you only come on Saturday, am I right?”  There was no need to answer, as they both knew it was true.  He stepped further into the tent, a bit confused when Cliff looked nervous.  After the week before, he thought…  “There’s no need to be so nervous.  I won’t use my magic here.  I might have sent a note today, but I’m not here to steal anything.”  He paused and looked at his feet.  “I…  I actually came to see _you_ , Cliff.”

Cliff opened to his mouth to reply, but Skye wasn’t quite done yet.

“I was hoping you’d spend some time with me.  We’ve only met thrice, and I’d like to get to know you better.  So, will you accompany me?”  Cliff knew Skye had mistaken his apprehension about Carter coming back and catching the thief as being afraid of him, so he stepped closer and nodded.

“I’d love to.” Skye smiled sincerely and offered Cliff his hand.  He looked at it for but a moment before accepting it, letting Skye lead the way to wherever it was he had in mind.  Right then, not even Carter returning could have ruined the content fluttering he felt in his chest.  And though he didn’t know it, Skye was thinking the same thing.

\---

“The view is especially beautiful tonight.”  Cliff didn’t know why they had gone to the beach, and he didn’t ask.  It didn’t really seem all that important, all things considered.

“Yes, the ocean is lovely,” he answered, having always liked the ocean since he was a child.  Especially when he could just look at it instead of traveling on it when he was forced from a town.  He hoped those days were forever over.

“What if I wasn’t talking about the ocean?” Skye asked in a slightly teasing tone, reaching his hand up to brush lightly against Cliff’s cheek.  “After all, I have you by my side.  No ocean could compare.”  Cliff felt his face flush.  He wasn’t used to all the flirting from someone he actually was falling for, but he liked it enough to not mind the warmth on his cheeks. 

Skye, who’d noticed Cliff’s face heat up, was suddenly filled with something he couldn’t quite place.  He felt… happy.  A strange tingling kind of happiness.  Was this what being in love felt like?  Perhaps it was still too soon to go that far, but he was now sure more than ever that he wanted this man at his side in life.

“Cliff…  There’s something I need to tell you.  Something I’ve never told anyone else.”  Cliff wondered if this had anything to do with what they’d talked about the last time they’d met.  Regardless, he nodded for Skye to continue.  “I pride myself in making curry.  That probably sounds strange, but I work hard at it day after day.  I gather ingredients and taste other’s curry whenever possible, which is hard when you have no money or friends, as you can probably imagine.  And no matter what I try, it never comes out just right, so I keep trying.  That’s…  That’s why I do what I do.  I’ll make my dream come true, no matter what it takes.”

They were silent for a moment, the only sound in the night being the waves crashing on the beach.

“I thought you said I had to catch you first?”  Skye laughed and grabbed Cliff’s hand, threading their fingers together and reveling in the red that tinged the other man’s cheeks yet again.

“You already did…”  The unspoken meaning in his words wasn’t lost on Cliff.  He shuffled closer to Skye, squeezing his hand as if to say ‘ _you have me too_.’  “You know, I have the right flavor for my curry down, but it’s still missing something important.  Any idea what it might be?”

Cliff prided himself on loving to _eat_ curry, though he didn’t cook it all that much.  What could Skye’s curry possibly be missing…?

“Maybe…  You aren’t cooking with love.”  The silver-haired man’s eyes widened at the answer.

“Love, huh…?”  He thought about it for a moment before chuckling and squeezing Cliff’s hand affectionately.  “Maybe you’re right.  I’ve been so caught up on flavor I’ve never even considered it.  Heh, I hope you’ll try my curry the next time I make it and tell me if I have the love thing down.”  He winked at Cliff and let go of his hand, taking a few steps back before Cliff could say another word.  “Thanks for spending time with me tonight.  I’d love to walk you back, but a nice guy like you shouldn’t be seen with a thief like me, huh?  Good luck with work this week, Cliff.”

He turned away and started to walk away, but Cliff had one more thing he had to say. 

“Wait, Skye, I need to tell you something!”  The thief stopped, but he didn’t turn around.  “I can’t really cook, but curry dishes are my favorite foods in the world.  I…  I thought you should know.”

“Well that works out well,” Cliff could practically hear the amusement in his voice.  “I guess that’s one more thing that proves fate has brought us together.”  With that, he continued walking.  Cliff stared as he left, until the thief was no longer in sight.

Fate…  Yes, he was beginning to believe in fate too.  This was too perfect _not_ to be fate.  Skye…

There was now no doubt that he was falling in love with the thief.

With a cheerful sigh, he left in the same direction Skye had, intent on finding Carter and Flora, then going to bed.  Maybe he’d even have some happy dreams…

\---

“You certainly look pleased with yourself.”  Cliff thought back to the night before on the beach and laughed softly.

“I guess you could say that…”

Truthfully, he felt some guilt too, but that had nothing to do with the previous night, and the feelings attached to his time with Skye were greater than the bad ones he’d felt that morning with Ann.  She’d asked him, the jealousy apparent in her tone, where he’d been going the past three weekends.  Normally he would have assured her it was nothing, but this time is wasn’t _nothing_.  She hadn’t liked hearing that he didn’t want to talk about it, but he’d left before she could say anything else.  He felt bad, but not _too_ bad.  Maybe this would soften the “I’m gay” blow he’d have to deliver soon by a bit…

“Cliff, you have a visitor!”  Duke and Cliff both shot Manna a confused look at her announcement.  The only one who ever came while he was at work was Ann bringing lunch, and that wasn’t for another hour.  He doubted she’d even come with how mad she probably was.

“What are you talking about?  Who could need to see Cliff while he’s working?”  Manna glared down at him from her place on the stairs, thinking to herself that if Cliff had a new friend, he should be spending time with that friend.  The poor boy needed to get out more often…

“His friend Steiner from Forget-Me-Not Valley came to see him and must not have known his hours.  Cliff dear, it’s fine, take the day off with your friend.  Oh Duke, don’t give me that look.  The boy needs more friends his age and—”

Steiner?  Cliff didn’t know any Steiners…  Wondering who in the world it could be, he left the wine cellar and his yet again arguing bosses, and he saw a familiar person waiting for him near the grape trees…

“What are you doing here?!”  Skye smirked and tucked his hair behind his ear, enjoying Cliff’s surprised expression.

“I wanted to see you of course.  I even got up early to come see you, then I had to knock on half a dozen doors to find you…  Surely you’re happy to see me!”

“Of course I am,but what’s that Steiner business?”  Skye laughed—it was a bit like a giggle Cliff decided, just decidedly more masculine than when someone like Popuri giggled—and walked over to where Cliff stood.

“No one here knows my _face_ , but some might know my _name_.  I just made something up so I don’t get an angry mob after me.”  It made sense.  Cliff much preferred the name _Skye_ though.  “Now, shall we start our date?”

“D-date?”  The thief hooked one arm with Cliff, the other holding up a bag he was carrying.

“I tried making some curry with love.  I said I wanted you to try it after all.  Since it’s not time for lunch though, let’s go on a date.  That’s normally what two people who share a mutual attraction do after all, wouldn’t you agree, my dear Cliff?”  Cliff glanced around to make sure they were still alone.  They were.  Good.

“Yes, but we’ve only known each other for three weeks and I can count the number of times we’ve met on one hand.  Don’t you think this might be too…”  He trailed off, realizing he sounded ridiculous.  He’d even admitted to himself that he was falling in love.  If Skye was feeling the same, what was one date?

“Fast?”  Skye picked up when Cliff didn’t continue.  “Look, you’re gay, right?”  Still alone, really good.  He nodded.  “Well, I’m not.  You’re the only guy I’ve ever been in the least bit attracted too.  This isn’t just something I’m rushing into.  I’ve thought about this a lot, and I want to see if our love really is written in the stars.  Don’t you wish to know as well?”

Skye’s last words were soft, spoken in a tone almost suggesting he was afraid to know the answer.  To Cliff, this was new because he’d never actually dated a man.  For Skye, everything—right down to the feelings themselves—was new.  He was flattered to know that he was the only one to make him feel this way.

“…Yes, I do.  I want to know very much.”  They shared a smile before Cliff gently nudged him along, deciding they’d been out in the open long enough.  “Come on, I know a great spot for our date.”

\---

The duo sat along the edge of Goddess Pond, which sparkled gloriously in the sunlight.  Cliff had seen the pond in the valley too, but he preferred this one.  Skye told him on the walk there that sometimes very late at night he’d walk around the valley and liked to stay by the pond, and even he had to admit that this one looked prettier.

It was still a bit early for lunch, but they decided to eat regardless.  When Skye opened the bag and pulled out Finest Curry, Cliff almost started to drool.

“I take it you like this?”

“It’s my favorite!”

Skye said nothing more as he passed over the dish and a fork, waiting for him to take a bite.  Cliff wasted no time in doing just that.

“Skye…”  The thief held his breath.  “This is the best curry I’ve ever had!”

“I’m glad.”  There was a flush to his face, and Cliff wanted to see more.  He didn’t like being the only one with a red face all the time in the relationship…

“What’s your favorite food?”  Skye picked up his own fork and scooted closer so he could reach the dish too.

“The same as you.  We share the same exquisite taste.”  As the thief was about to take a bite, Cliff snatched away the fork and instead dipped his own back in the curry.  Skye raised an eyebrow at his behavior, but when the fork was offered to him, Cliff got his wish—his blush deepened.  “I can feed myself…”

“I know.  I want to though.  Just this once, please?”  Skye stared at the fork for a moment before nodding and opening his mouth.  Cliff gently guided it into the thief’s awaiting mouth, wondering why he’d wanted to do this so badly, and why it felt so intimate.  When the fork was removed, Skye chewed slowly, analyzing his creation.

“You’re right,” he said after he finished, a small smile on his face.  “It does taste better with love.  Thank you for showing me.”  He held his hand out for his utensil, but Cliff didn’t give it back.  He set it down along with his own and pulled the unsuspecting thief into his arms.  “Cliff!”

“Skye…”  He could feel his heart beating wildly—or was that Skye’s?—as he leaned closer.  He wanted to do this _so badly_ …  “Can I…?”

“Please do.”  Skye’s answer was barely above a whisper, but it was good enough.  Cliff closed the small gap, pressing his slightly chapped lips to Skye’s own smooth ones.  It was an incredible feeling—having the one who had come to mean so much to him in such a short amount of time moving his lips with his own, parting his mouth, lapping his at his lips with his tongue…

Skye tasted like curry.  Somehow, it was even better this way.

\---

The blue eyes watching the two men kiss were widened in shock and pain, but they couldn’t look away.  She’d gone up to the pond to cool down at the request of her father—she tended to break dishes when she was this angry, so she didn’t blame him—and she’d hidden when she heard the very person who’d made her so upset coming that way.  Who Cliff had walked arm-in-arm with, she wasn’t sure, but she’d picked up that his name was Skye and Cliff had met him on his trips to the valley.

‘ _So I was right.  He **did** meet someone.  …No wonder he didn’t want to tell me though.  I never would have guessed he’s_ …’

Her thoughts cut off as she saw them break the kiss, their faces lit up with that look that only came with being in love with someone new.  She’d seen it on all of her friends as they’d paired off, and she was sure it had been her expression many times as she’d looked at Cliff.  The pair stayed close and went back to eating their curry.  They looked so happy together, and as much as she wanted to burst out from her hiding spot and demand answers…

Ann could admit when she’d lost.

Though, she supposed she’d never really had him to begin with.  She’d thought he was just too shy, but as she’d just seen, that wasn’t the case.  Cliff had been getting more and more agitated as time went by, up until he started his trips to the valley.  When he’d suddenly been in higher spirits than she’d ever seen him, she’d been jealous, assuming there was another woman.  To see it was actually another _man_ though…  Oddly, it made her loss more bearable.  There was nothing wrong with her then.  She just wasn’t the right gender for him.  It was a strange comfort, but she’d take it.

Ann liked to think of herself as a great friend, and she decided right then that if she couldn’t be Cliff’s wife, she was going to be his best friend forever no matter what he thought of it.  She understood why he’d keep this a secret, but by the Goddess, she was going to help these two out.  If Cliff was finally in love and happy, it was going to _stay_ that way.

“I made these too.”  Her plotting would have to wait it seemed, because if she was going to help, she needed to see all about this new guy that she could.  She knew he could cook curry—it did make her jealous to think Cliff liked Skye’s cooking more than her own, but she pushed that thought aside—and that was it really.  She wondered if he worked at the valley’s inn as a cook.  “I know I’m a week late, but you must admit, the stars weren’t really aligned to make us close enough in time…”

She watched as he pulled out a small bag filled with chocolate cookies and had to stop herself from laughing at the look on Cliff’s face.  She’d given him cookies on Thanksgiving the week before, but he’d hardly reacted.  Now he was looking at the bag he was offered as if it was some holy treasure.  Yep, that boy had it _bad_.

“Th-thank you!  They look delicious.”  Skye shrugged, but Ann could tell he was pleased by his boyfriend’s—were they considering themselves that yet?—reaction.  The guy looked like a playboy to her, but he seemed sincere about Cliff just from what little she’d seen.  She nodded to herself in approval; he’d better be sincere, because if he broke Cliff’s heart, she’d break his legs.

Figuring she’d done enough spying for the day, Ann silently moved through the trees, giving the couple back their privacy.  She had to get back to work anyway…

Besides, she had to leave _something_ to surprise her when she grilled him later that night!

\---

“Will you visit again?”

It was only mid-afternoon, but they’d decided for Skye’s first trip to town, a short visit was good.  It wouldn’t do for the whole town to start asking questions already.  Cliff already knew he’d have Duke on his back soon enough.

“I’m sure I can pencil you in…”

They were near the path leading out of Mineral Town, the only two there.  True, someone could come at any moment, but Cliff took the chance and pulled Skye into a hug.  He wanted to kiss him again, but that was probably pushing his luck too far.

“The sixth of summer…  You should come then.  I mean, you don’t have to, but it’s my birthday…”  Skye let himself be enveloped in the hug, liking the feel of Cliff’s strong muscled arms around his own lithe body.  He didn’t know how Cliff got so strong making wine, but he wasn’t complaining.

‘ _How strange_ ,’ he thought, ‘ _that I’m actually liking this so much, after years of planning on having a delicate wife.  Fate is certainly interesting_ …’

“I’m sure I’ll be free that day,” he finally said aloud.  “As long as you take the day off on the tenth.”

“Is that _your_ birthday?”  Skye nodded, smiling a bit into Cliff’s chest.  Even their birthdays were similar…

“Wow, alright then.  What do you want to do?”

“Oh, you’ll see…”

They stayed that way for a few minutes, Cliff holding Skye, who found that he really didn’t want to go home.  He’d been alone for so long, and this man was finally making him open his heart…  He could flirt with a thousand pretty girls, and he doubted he’d feel as good as he did at that very moment.  But he had a feeling Cliff was still in the closet, so to speak, as far as the townsfolk went.  One day, he’d ask him about that, but not today.

Skye finally pulled back, giving Cliff a smile that didn’t really reach his eyes.  Cliff went to say something, but the thief took his chance and swooped in, stealing a kiss before he could protest.  Cliff’s purple eyes darted around, and now Skye was sure that no one actually knew he was gay.  Well, he’d managed to steal Cliff’s heart, so he’d just have to make sure he was someone worth coming out for.

“I’ll see you later, my lovely boyfriend.  Try not to miss me too much.”  With a wink, the thief slipped off, entering the forest rather than taking the path.  Cliff managed to wave weakly at his retreating form, but he couldn’t seem to make any words come out.  Boyfriend…?

Suddenly, his face was covered in a brilliant grin.  Yes, that’s right, he had a boyfriend.  A very handsome Phantom Thief of a boyfriend.

He turned towards the direction of the inn, humming a nameless tune.  Nothing could bring him down now.

\---

“Y-you saw what?”  Cliff suddenly felt very foolish for thinking nothing could ruin his mood.  Of course there was, and he lived under the same roof as her.  The moment he’d stepped into the inn, she’d stalked over to him, grabbed his hand, dragged him upstairs, and locked them into the empty room.  He had been nervous when he saw her intense expression, but once she bluntly stated “ _I saw you kiss him_ ,” he was downright _terrified_.

“Don’t play dumb with me mister!  I was at the pond and saw you.  Jeez, I know you were probably trying not to hurt my feelings, but you could have told me!  Aren’t we best friends?  Don’t you trust me?”

Cliff’s mind was reeling.  Ann saw them…  Ann, the girl who wanted to _marry_ him, saw him kissing another guy.  How was he going to explain this one?  Was he going to need to move out?  Would she tell everyone?  Would—

“Cliff, stop looking like I just killed a puppy!  I’m not mad and I’m not gonna tell anyone.  I wanna _help_ you.”  Her words snapped him back to reality.  Help?

“You…  You want to help…?  But I thought…”  She snorted and shook her head.  She would never understand what went through his head…

“Yeah, I know, I have a crush on you.  That’s not gonna go away in a day, but there’s nothing I can do if you’re into guys.  You’re my best friend though, and even if you had been able to love me, you would have been my friend before my husband.  Now, enough about that!  I wanna know all about this Skye of yours.  Don’t hold back the details!”

And so, he told her.  Everything he’d told Carter, he now told Ann, adding in what had happened with Skye since he’d last seen the priest.  She was much more expressive than Carter had been though—she was disbelieving at how his mother had acted, amused by his brief crush on Gray, embarrassed by how much the townsfolk had been trying to get them together—she knew about her father, but so many others too?—and finally…

“He’s a _thief_?  I figured he was a chef!”  Cliff briefly wondered if he really should have mentioned that, but he could trust her.  He knew he could.

“He wants to be a chef, but he doesn’t have the money for ingredients.  So he, you know, takes them.  That’s all though!”  Ann felt better to hear he wasn’t a jewel thief or something, but _still_ …

“He’s still stealing, no matter what it is.  Are you really okay with that?  Why can’t he just get a job somewhere and _pay_ for the ingredients?”  Good question…  He wish he knew himself.

“I’m…  Well, no, not _really_.  But I have faith that he can change.  I can’t just give up on him so soon.”  Ann didn’t approve of it at all, but she knew that the thief was finally making her friend happy, so she let it go.  For the moment at least.

“All right, I’ll leave that up to you.  So what was it I have to call him around other people…  Steiner?”  He nodded, looking like he didn’t like the name any more than she did.

“Yes, but please don’t—”

“I know, I know!” she cut him off, waving her hand dismissively.  “I’m not gonna tell all of Mineral Town you have a boyfriend.  Maybe _you_ should though.  Not that it’s really their business, but then you wouldn’t have to hide it.  And I promise me and Carter would stop anyone who tried to chase you with a pitchfork.”

He knew she was just teasing him, but the thought of there being at least one person in town who wasn’t keen on the idea of having a gay neighbor wasn’t too hard to imagine, especially with so many older citizens.  But surely no one would take it that badly, right?

“I’ll think about it…”  She shrugged, knowing it wasn’t her decision to make.

“Just one more question, okay?”  He nodded, wondering what else she could want to know.  “Is he a good kisser?”

He groaned at the devious grin on her lips.  At least she was taking this well…


	4. Chapter 4

Cliff, not for the first time that night, wondered why he had such rotten luck sometimes.  He knew Skye was planning heists on Saturday for a reason, but why _this_ woman’s crops?  She was _absolutely terrifying_.  He’d almost turned her down when she’d asked for help catching the “lily-livered thief” as she’d put it, but he’d been afraid she might twist him into a pretzel for refusing.  He wasn’t a pushover by any means and was in fact one of the physically stronger men his age on the island, but even he didn’t think he could stop Vesta.

‘ _What are you thinking Skye?  This isn’t a game…  This woman could hurt you_!’

He decided that the next time they were alone, he’d just offer to _buy_ him some ingredients.  Anything so that he wouldn’t have to worry about his boyfriend dying at Vesta’s hands.  All the muttering she was doing next to him made him very sure that she’d do it without much hesitation.

A sudden rustle came from a row of cucumber plants a few feet away.  Suddenly, up popped a certain Phantom Thief, a bag full of what was no doubt Vesta’s vegetables in one hand.  He smiled at Cliff and Vesta—the other two, Marlin and Celia he believed they were called, were patrolling the other field—bowing to them mockingly.

“My my, so you were all waiting to ambush me tonight, were you?  Aren’t the odds a bit unfair?  Four-to-one…  Why, you’d need the entire valley to catch _me_!”  Skye caught Cliff’s eye and winked, and despite the fact they were technically dating, Cliff still felt himself flush lightly.  He might have been vain as hell, but he really was quite charming when he was like this…

“YOU DIRTY THIEF!” Vesta bellowed, luckily not noticing the exchange between the two men.  “You ain’t gettin’ your grimy paws on my veggies!”

“Oh, but I believe I already did.”  Vesta’s face was getting redder than Cliff’s ever had from Skye’s flirting, but hers was out of sheer anger.  “Come now, don’t let such raw anger steal away your beauty.”

“You….  You…  _You_!”  Her face went even redder, which neither man had thought was possible.  Cliff sincerely hoped she didn’t have a heart attack.

“P-Phantom Thief,” he called out, thinking that calling him Skye in this situation would seem suspicious, “please…  Stop stealing!  You’re better than this!”

Skye faltered for but a moment.  ‘ _Can’t you do better than this_?’  The words from their second meeting came back to him.  He would have to worry about that later though.  He didn’t plan on being a thief forever, but at this particular moment, his hesitation could be the end of him…  Literally.

“Are you worried about me?”  His tone was softer than the cocky one he’d had a moment before, and he knew from the look in those expressive purple eyes that he was right.  “Well, don’t be.  It’s not my time to be caught…”  He paused; he didn’t want to do this to Cliff again, but he had to stop Vesta and he was in the line of fire…  He’d just have to forgive him.  “ _CHICK-BEAM…FIRE!_ ”

That strange feeling of paralysis hit Cliff for the second time, but it wasn’t nearly as frightening now.  It would wear off soon, he knew.  He just hoped Skye got away before it wore off on Vesta.

“What’s happening?  I can’t move!”

…Well, it was certainly working for the moment at least.

“Heh, well, my work here is done.  Time to jet.”  Skye strolled past the frozen duo nonchalantly, stopping briefly beside Cliff to whisper in his ear, “Tonight I’ll be around to steal something from _you_ though.  Go straight to your room when you’re done here.”

He was off for real then, ignoring Vesta’s cries to get back and not threaten “ _that poor innocent boy_!”  If she only knew…  He’d hadn’t gotten far when two people were suddenly rushing towards him.

“Hey, stop you damn thief!”  The man, Marlin, looked almost as angry as his sister, while Celia was just staring at him.  Skye noticed the opening and flipped his hair, knowing that these younger women just couldn’t resist him.  It gave Cliff a show too, which was the least he could do to apologize for freezing him.

“Looks like I’m extra popular tonight.  Wouldn’t you say, my fair maiden?”  Celia blushed instantly from the smooth words, not noticing Marlin glaring at the thief even harder for attracting his girlfriend’s attention.

“H-hey, hold it you thief…”  Her voice wasn’t intimidating in the least, but he had to smirk at her effort.

“Being cornered by pretty ladies seems to be a curse of mine.”  At this point he was just trying to screw with Marlin, and it was working like a charm.  The other man threw his arm out, almost as if he thought it could keep Skye away from her.

“Back off pretty boy!  Just stay away from her!”  The thief almost laughed aloud at the ridiculous notion; as if he wanted _her_.  He was perfectly happy with the heart he’d already stolen.

“Forgive me, but I don’t want to be caught by a man such as yourself.  Where’s the mystique in _that_?  Besides, I don’t want your little girlfriend.  I’m quite content with what I already have, thank you.  Now, if you’d please…  _CHICK-BEAM…FIRE_!”

“Celia!”

“I can’t…  I can’t move!”

“What?!”

Skye walked right past them as Marlin worried over the girl, telling her she’d be fine soon enough as he hurried off.  Cliff watched the entire scene with a sense of happiness he was sure he shouldn’t have been feeling.  Skye had stolen and could have gotten injured, but at the same time…  “ _I’m quite content with what I already have, thank you._ ”  Celia was a pretty girl, as were all the women in the valley, but Skye didn’t want them.  He wanted _him_ , and how could he _not_ feel happy about that?

\---

Cliff entered the inn, and seeing Ruby yelling at her son Rock—something about being out too late bugging Lumina—he decided to head up to his room unnoticed.  Vesta, he determined, needed some medication.  The mood swing she had once Skye was gone was _amazing_.  She was much too cheerful as she told them no one was at fault and the Phantom Thief hadn’t taken too much to be a huge problem.

Marlin had asked why the beam worked on everyone but him, and luckily Celia, being the only other one to know attraction was involved, made up an excuse that Marlin must not have been close enough.  Whether she lied to stop Vesta from becoming enraged that anyone would imply she might find the thief attractive or to spare Cliff any questions about his sexual orientation, he wasn’t sure.  In the end, he supposed it didn’t matter.  He’d been told to take it easy, then took his leave.

He thought back to Skye’s whispered words as his hand gripped the doorknob to his room.  Would the thief already be in there?  Not wanting to keep him waiting if he were, he quickly entered and turned the lock.  If Skye wasn’t in, he could just use the window or knock.  He didn’t want to take the chance of Ruby or anyone coming in…

“Locking it, eh?  My dearest Cliff, whatever do you think I have planned for you?”  The voice seemed to come from nowhere, but with a step from the shadows, Skye was bathed in moonlight streaming in from the window.  Cliff felt his breath hitch as that silky silver hair seemed to positively _glow_.

“W-well, you said you were going to steal something from me, and I can only think of one thing of value you don’t already have, so…”  Skye raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile forming.

“You’re still a virgin then?”  Cliff hesitated for a moment before nodding.  He’d never wanted a one-night stand; it wasn’t his style.  Mineral Town was the only place he’d spent any length of time in, and all the men were straight there.  Of course he was still a virgin.  “Well, calm down lover boy, I’m not here to steal your virginity.  I’d rather you give _that_ to me willingly.”

“Then what…?”  Skye was across the room in seconds, pushing Cliff against the door and claiming his lips in a deep kiss.  Cliff moaned at the pleasant contact, especially when Skye ran his lithe hands down his chest.  If he hadn’t thought it was too soon, he would have told Skye to have him right then.  Now it seemed Skye had other plans.

“Bed,” he murmured between insistent kisses, nimble fingers playing with Cliff’s belt.  He didn’t have to ask twice—Cliff picked the light thief up with no effort, placing him on the bed he’d spent the last month’s Saturdays in.  Once down, Skye peeled off his shirts and threw them to the ground; Cliff didn’t even need to be asked to do the same.  He crawled on the bed himself, leaning over his half-naked boyfriend and taking the thief’s lips as his own again.

He still wasn’t sure what Skye hoped to steal from him, but at the moment, he really didn’t care.

\---

_Forgive me for leaving you as you sleep so peacefully, but I fear it would not fare well for me to stay until dawn.  You looked far too content to awaken, but rest assured that I gave you a most sweet goodbye kiss.  I will come for you on the sixth of summer at noon.  Meet me at the place we parted last._

_With the most sincere of love,_

_Phantom Skye_

_PS. You, alas, had nothing to steal, so I shall spare you this time.  You cannot say I am not a most generous thief._

Cliff reread the note multiple times on his trip back to Mineral Town, liking Skye’s elegant, rather loopy handwriting.  His birthday was the next Saturday, and he’d informed Ruby that he wouldn’t be coming in the next week.  He knew he didn’t have to—he was just a visitor after all—but he’d been going for so long that it had seemed to be the right thing to do.  And as long as he and Skye had such wonderful nights together, he’d continue going back.

Well, until Skye came to his senses and they were together _all_ the time at least.

When ten o’clock came about, Cliff was in the highest of spirits.  So much in fact, that Duke couldn’t help but be suspicious of the wide grin he constantly sported.  Not that he didn’t like seeing the young man so happy, but it wasn’t an everyday occurrence, that was certain.

“Well, what has _you_ so happy?  You and a certain redhead finally get together?”  Cliff was _so_ happy in fact, that not even the sly accusations could bring him down.  Besides, he’d been to the inn and talked to Ann before going into work; she’d squealed when she read the sweet note he’d gotten from the thief, demanding more details later that night.  He didn’t know if she was completely over him, but she obviously wasn’t angry about his and Skye’s relationship.

“Nope, not quite.”  Duke raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused.

“Not Ann…?  Well, who could make you act like a schoolboy with his first crush?”

“Oh…  Just someone.”

Duke looked like he was about to question him further, but he never got the chance.  Manna was really becoming his lifesaver lately.  She hurried down the cellar steps, grabbed his wrist, and started pulling his back _up_ the stairs.  It all happened so fast that Duke didn’t even have time to protest before they were gone.

Manna didn’t stop until they were inside the house.  Though the shop was still open, she locked the door behind them before turning to Cliff with a serious look in her eyes.

“I know.”  Cliff felt his body tense.  Manna knew?  She knew _what_?  She looked so confident though, that he knew it must be something that was true?  Was it that he was gay?  Dating Skye?  Dating Skye the Phantom Thief?

“Please…  Don’t tell anyone…”  He didn’t know what he was asking her not to tell, but she was the biggest gossip in town, hell, probably on the entire island, and whatever she knew he didn’t want spread around.  He decided he’d have to just take a stab at what it was.  “It’s all new, but I really care about him…  I don’t want him to get hurt because someone couldn’t accept we’re together.”

She still had that same look.  So she knew _more_?

“Manna, I’m begging you…  Don’t tell everyone he’s the thief.  Skye is so much better than that, I just know it.  Carter and Ann are the only other ones who know, and they’re sure he can change too.  So please, just keep it between us.”

Manna was quiet for a few seconds…  Then she burst out giggling.  Cliff stared, dumbstruck.  What was going on…?

“Oh Cliff dear, you really need to work on how gullible you are!  I didn’t know a thing besides that you were hiding something!  So that Steiner man is really the thief down in Forget-Me-Not Valley, and he’s your boyfriend…  Oh, don’t look so shocked; I’m not!  Duke is so certain you love Ann, but I just _knew_ you didn’t seem very interested in women!  Oh, and don’t worry, I can keep this a secret all easy!  I have plenty of other gossip you know.  Oh, Cliff, you look pale!  Do you need to sit down?  It was just a joke dear, I honestly won’t tell anyone, not even Duke!”

As soon as she asked, Cliff flopped onto one of the kitchen chairs.  He’d just given away _everything_ , and she’d known _nothing_.  That made three people who knew, and this one he hadn’t even been planning on telling.  He just barely resisted the urge to hit his head against the table a few times.

Well…  At least she was taking it well too.  Maybe this had been a trick, but he had one more supporter at least.  That was always a good thing…  As long as she really _could_ keep it a secret.

\---

Summer was upon Mineral Town.  It didn’t mean all that much really, as life there never changed a great deal, but for Cliff it meant he gained another roommate.  Kai wasn’t in the room often, and when he was he tended to talk to Gray, not him.  The night before his birthday, he wondered to himself what would happen when Skye arrived the next day, completely tuning out Kai telling his best friend about his latest antics flirting with Popuri and ticking off Rick.

“Hey man, dreaming about your girlfriend over there?”  Cliff looked over at his roommates, keeping a neutral expression on his face.  It was hard, but he wasn’t going to raise suspicions.  Three people knowing he had a boyfriend was quite enough for the moment.

“No, just thinking about tomorrow.  A friend is coming to visit.”  He didn’t mention anything about the valley, knowing Kai spent time done there too.  Who knew what he might know?

“Right, it’s your birthday tomorrow, isn’t it?”  Cliff nodded at Gray’s question.  He was sure Ann had planned something, though he’d warned her that Skye was coming in the afternoon, so he assumed whatever she did would be at night.  Gray likely already knew and was bringing it up for Kai’s sake.

“Oh man, really?  Sorry, I didn’t get you anything!  Hey, bring your friend to the Snack Shack tomorrow.  I’ll treat ya both on the house.”  He didn’t know if bringing Skye around was a good idea, but he promised he would if they could.  That was good enough for Kai, and he went back to telling Gray about the day’s events with the Poultry Farm siblings.

The next morning he received birthday wishes from everyone he saw.  It made Cliff pleased to see everyone had remembered it was his birthday, even the people he didn’t know as well.  By the time noon came around and he was standing at the road to the valley, he was in high spirits.  High spirits that only got higher when he saw the silver haired man coming up the path.

“Hey lover boy,” Skye greeted with a wave as he got closer.  “How’s it feel to be twenty-three?”

“Fine I guess,” he replied, not feeling any different really.  It made him a bit pleased to know he was the same age as his boyfriend, even if only for a few more days.  As he got closer, he spied a small box in the thief’s hand.  He didn’t want to assume it was stolen, but…  “Is that for me?”

Skye just smiled and handed the present over.  It wasn’t wrapped, so he opened the cover and stared at the gift inside.

“And before you ask,” the thief interjected, “I didn’t steal it.  I found it at the mines, and it reminded me of your eyes…  If you don’t like it though, you can just pawn it or something.”  His words were calm, but Cliff could see he was nervous.  The pendant was really very lovely, though not overly feminine.  It looked like something Carter and Flora would have dug up, but if Skye said he didn’t steal it, he believed him.  The chain was silver, with a small feather-shaped cut of amethyst hanging down.  He normally wouldn’t have worn any sort of jewelry, but it was from Skye…

He shoved the box in his vest pocket and slipped the pendant over his head.  It hung just above his furry collar, allowing the world to see it.  Skye looked delighted that he’d put it on, and that was enough to make Cliff decide he was going to wear it from then on.

“Trust me, it’s a wonderful gift.”  He wanted to kiss the thief, to feel those soft lips again…  He didn’t get the chance to, as Skye had already moved in and was doing it for him.  Part of Cliff wanted to push away, but who would be out here today?  He was the only one who ever left on Saturdays after all.  So he responded to the kiss hungrily, letting all of the pent up emotions he’d had since last seeing the thief escape through it.  He broke away eventually, asking Skye if he’d had lunch yet.

“No, I’m getting low on food, and the time hasn’t been right to get to town.  I was going to make you Finest Curry, but I was all out of curry powder…”  Cliff kissed Skye’s forehead at the thoughtful gesture, smiling when he saw the thief’s cheeks flush lightly at the sweet sentiment.

“Don’t worry, I know where to go.”

When they found themselves outside of Kai’s Snack Shack after a short walk through Rose Square and up the beach, Skye wondered if it was really a good idea.  Didn’t the guy here go to the valley…?  He vaguely remembered hearing some girls twittering about a handsome tanned man who sometimes came during the summer when he’d first arrived in the early fall.  Something about him having a girlfriend in Mineral Town so he’d started spending the summers there instead…  No, he decided, he couldn’t have met that man then.  Even if he’d been in the valley for the summer, he would have just missed him.  He could go in with Cliff for their free lunch without fear.

Of course, he would have gone in anyway and just made up an excuse.  For Cliff, he’d channel every bit of charm and acting power he possessed.

To both of their relief, Kai didn’t recognize the thief, and he’d never heard of anyone named Steiner.  Gray was there having lunch too, and Cliff was relieved to see he was alone.  Had Mary ever seen Skye…?  He didn’t seem concerned about anyone recognizing him, so Cliff supposed he’d never run into anyone he _knew_ was from Mineral Town at least.  He hoped he was right about that…

After they ate, they walked away from the beach, only to be stopped by a voice calling out for Cliff.  He stopped and waved as the man came closer.

“Good afternoon Carter.”

“And a good afternoon to you too.  Happy birthday as well!”  Skye watched as the man—a religious looking one at that—greeted his boyfriend.  He’d never been all that comfortable with religion, and now being a thief and dating a man…  Surely that broke _tons_ of rules.  “Ah, and this must be Skye.”

Green eyes widened more than they likely ever had.

“Yes, but it’s Steiner when anyone besides Ann or Manna are around.”

“Of course, I—”

“Cliff,” Skye interrupted, not caring if it was a sin or something to do so, “who’s this?”

“Oh, sorry.  This is Carter.  He’s the pastor at the church.”  He pointed to a building in the distance; the church no doubt.  It was pretty small looking, but Skye supposed a small town wouldn’t need anything bigger.  “He was my first friend when I moved here.  After we met, I told him how I was feeling about you, and he told me I should go after you.”

“Really?”  Not that he thought Cliff would lie to him, but a religious leader encouraging Cliff to date a male thief?  That seemed… strange.

“Yes,” Carter affirmed, noticing Skye’s skeptical look.  “Cliff was very enamored with you, and there was no reason to discourage it.  The Harvest King and Harvest Goddess love all of their children, no matter what.”

Even after they parted ways, the words stayed in Skye’s mind.  He came from the city, where there were no such beliefs in gods or goddesses of the harvest.  Cliff believed in them though, and if this was a religion that didn’t frown upon love…  He guessed maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

Cliff avoided certain places as the day went on—mostly the workplaces of people who frequently went to the valley—but by the time the sun was beginning to set, he’d shown Skye most of the town.  To his relief, they didn’t run into Manna or Ann.  He didn’t think Skye could take the women’s enthusiasm about their relationship quite yet.  Eventually, they ended up back where they’d started the day.

“I had a great day,” Cliff said with a sincere smile on his face.  “I haven’t had a birthday this enjoyable in a long time.”  Skye returned the smile and stepped closer until he could wrap his arms around Cliff’s shoulders.  Cliff figured there was no harm if someone came along—men could hug, right?—and encircled Skye’s waist in return.

“We didn’t do all that much, but I’m glad you had a good time.  So did I…”  And he meant it.  Mineral Town was a nicer place that he’d imagined.  Certainly a place worth living someday.  Especially with Cliff in the equation.  He tightened his grip for a moment before letting go completely, wondering why exactly he felt so empty when Cliff’s arms were gone.  He was still right there…  “I guess I should head back…”

“Yeah,” Cliff agreed reluctantly, not wanting it, but knowing it was for the best.  “I’ll see you in a few days though, right?”

“Right.  Oh, and Cliff?”  Without waiting for an answer he stepped forward and pressed their lips together for but a moment.  It was hard not to sigh when Cliff started looking around again.  He’d have to try harder it seemed…  “Happy birthday.”

He turned and walked away, wondering if relationships were always so confusing.

Cliff watched him go until he was out of sight, not realizing anything was out of the ordinary.  He’d had a great birthday, which he’d spent with his boyfriend, and that night he’d have a party with his friends.  How could anything be wrong with that?

\---

When the tenth came, Cliff met Skye just outside town, and from there he was led into the woods.  Skye trusted him with the location of his hideout, and for that he was extremely grateful.  Cliff hadn’t known what he expected Skye’s home to look like, but a dingy little wooden cabin in the middle of nowhere wasn’t exactly it.  Yes, he was a thief who needed to keep a low profile, but nothing about Skye was quite as plain or run down as the cabin he lived in.

“So, how does it feel to be twenty-four?”  Skye laughed as his words from four days ago were turned back on him.  He was in a wonderful mood, having his boyfriend be his first and only visitor to his cabin, and seeing Cliff wearing the pendant he’d given him only made him feel even better.

“Just as fabulous as twenty-three was.  Now, shall we celebrate?”  He walked over to a small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of familiar wine.

“You didn’t steal that when you came to see me, did you?”  Skye rolled his eyes at the accusation.  Honestly…

“I steal _nothing_ without advanced warning.  This was from the valley’s bar.  You work at the winery, so surely you must know that the wine there is imported into the valley?”  Cliff chuckled nervously, feeling rather foolish, but Skye wasn’t upset as he got to glasses and poured some wine for them both.  He wasn’t much of a drinker, and he was neutral to wine at best, but he assumed that Cliff must like the product he helped to create.  As Cliff readily took a long drink, he congratulated himself for assuming correctly.

“Yeah, I knew, I just…  Um, sorry.  I, uh, got you a present.”  He pulled out two containers, blushing a little as he pushed them in front of the bemused thief.  “I don’t cook very much so I had some help with it, but she promised it would be edible.  The other one has some raw ingredients since you said you were running out.”  Skye guessed what it was even before he opened the lid, but it didn’t stop him from feeling touched at the sight of the Finest Curry.

“It looks delicious.  Thank you so much, my dear.”  He walked over to the refrigerator again and placed the containers in to keep them fresh, then sat back down.  He reached over and grabbed Cliff’s hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it.  Cliff grinned at the sweet gesture, feeling a tingle at the spot where Skye’s lips had touched.

“Sorry it isn’t much, but…”

“It’s fine, I love it.”  He assured his nervous boyfriend.  With a wink he added, “And I’m sure it’ll taste like it was made with love, right?”

“R-right!”  They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the wine and the comfort of having no prying eyes to find them.  Cliff broke the still when something came to mind.  “You live this close to the valley and no one has ever caught you?”

“They aren’t the hardest people to outrun or outsmart,” Skye laughed, having escaped so easily for over half a year that he didn’t worry about them at all.  “I certainly don’t need a college degree to outthink _those_ people.”

“Wait, you…  You have a college degree?”  Skye shrugged, obviously not thinking it was a big deal.

“Yeah, I mean, I _am_ twenty-four, and does it really look like I’ve been involved in manual labor since I graduated from high school?”  Certainly not, but Cliff wisely didn’t comment on _that_.

“Then do you steal for your cooking because of college bills or something?” Skye still looked completely disinterested in the subject of his higher education.

“Huh?  Oh, no, not at all.  My parents paid for all that.”

“Your _parents_?  They paid for _all_ of it?”

“Well, sure.  Have you ever heard of the Jade Jaguar Company?”  Cliff might not have been familiar with the big city or its fashion, but even _he_ had heard of the world-famous fashion conglomerate.  At his boyfriend’s nod, Skye continued.  “My family owns the company.”

“That means you’re...”

“Rich?” Skye offered when Cliff trailed off.  “Sure am.  Thing is, my folks wanted me to take over it.  My degree is in business, even though I told them for years I wanted to be a chef.  I tried getting used to that stuffy place, but trust me when I say running a company isn’t fun no matter how glamorous your product is.  I couldn’t take it, so one day I took the first boat I could find and just sailed away.  I didn’t even take much.  Just what I could carry really.”

“But if you’re rich, why do you need to steal?”

“It’s not like I can just use my credit cards and not expect my folks to track me down,” he explained with a wistful sigh, obviously wishing that he _could_.  “Hell, they’ve probably frozen them by now.  The only cash I had with me got me on the boat.  I have a _bit_ left, but I’m saving that for when I leave.  I don’t like this place…  I really wanted to live in Mineral Town.  That’s why I chose the valley to steal from.”

“Why not stop all this and move there now then?  You could stay with me at the inn there, and they’d hire you to cook there, I just know they would.  My best friend Ann could convince her dad to get you a job, I just know it.”  The plan was _perfect_ ; Cliff knew it.  Thus, it was quite obvious why he was upset when Skye immediately shook his head.

“I can’t leave here until I’m positive I’ll be accepted.  I’m not going by _Steiner_ the rest of my life.  Besides, are you ready to let everyone know I’m your boyfriend?  Cause if I move to Mineral Town, I’m not just going to by some little secret of yours.”  Cliff thought about the three people who knew he was gay.  They were fine with it, but they were also three of the people he was closest to.  Was he really ready for everyone to know…?

“Do they really need to know?  I mean—”

“What?” Skye interrupted, a dark look appearing on his face.  “Am I not good enough to come out for?  Just some pathetic little rich boy?  You wouldn’t understand…”  Cliff’s eyes narrowed, not liking the conclusions Skye was jumping to.

“That’s not it.  And don’t you _dare_ tell me I wouldn’t understand.  My own mother kicked me out of the house before I even got to finish _high school_ because I was gay.  I was once run out of a town because a guy tricked me into thinking he cared about me.  You don’t know anything about what I’ve been through, so don’t act like you’re the only one who went through bad times.  At least your parents didn’t die _hating_ you.”

They only could stare at each other—Cliff angry and Skye shocked.  Finally…

“Cliff, I’m sor—”

“Save it.”  The brunet stalked towards the door, missing the hurt look on the other man’s face.  “It’s obvious I shouldn’t have bothered.  You’ve clearly always done what you wanted without any consideration as to how it affects others, and I won’t change that.”

He left the cabin, slamming the door shut behind him.  Skye was too shocked to go after him, and frankly, he was a bit afraid too.  He hadn’t thought Cliff was capable of getting so angry, so quickly…  But there he went and opened his big mouth again…

‘ _Great, because I’m too damn sensitive, the only person I’ve ever loved just walked out on me_.’

The realization that he’d finally done it, he’d fallen in _love_ with Cliff, came a bit too late.  He laughed bitterly and raised his forgotten wine glass in mock cheer.

“Happy birthday to me.”


	5. Chapter 5

Cliff had almost taken the next day off and run through the woods to find Skye, but he’d restrained himself.  He _had_ to apologize.  He’d ruined Skye’s birthday over a silly argument, and he felt horrible about it.  Skye had spent the entire afternoon with him, and Cliff had barely stayed half-an-hour because he let his anger get the best of him.  Maybe Skye’s past wasn’t bad in comparison to his, but he didn’t wish his past on _anyone_.  Skye’s pain was his own, and Cliff knew that if he’d been in his position, he would have run off too.  Maybe he wouldn’t have resorted to thievery, but that was Skye’s decision, not his

He didn’t care if they’d only know each other for six weeks.  They could have met six _days_ ago and he still would have known Skye wasn’t someone he was about to let go so easily.  So he took the two hour walk on his day off, hoping Skye wasn’t mad enough just to stay home that night.

“Hello Cliff, you came at a good time!”  The greeting Ruby gave him would have been strange, if it weren’t the same one he seemed to get whenever Skye was involved.  This was definitely a good sign.  “We just got a note from that thief.”  Oh yes, very good indeed.

“A note from the thief?!”  A new voice made Cliff want to groan.  He did _not_ want Rock involved in this…  He didn’t necessarily dislike the young man, he was just _such_ a handful.  He wasn’t the only one who rushed in though.  A redheaded women he’d met once named Nami, who lived fulltime at the inn as he did in Mineral Town, followed behind the blond.

“Ruby, I heard you got a note from the thief!”  The older woman chuckled a bit at their enthusiasm.

“Calm down you two.  I was about to read the note to Cliff.  He’s dealt with that thief many times.”  Nami glanced at him, her eyes narrowing a bit.

“So we’ve heard.  And somehow he manages to be the only guy to get caught by that beam…”  Rock had no idea what she meant, thank the Goddess, but Ruby just tutted at the accusation.

“Now now, that isn’t anyone’s business but his own.”  She shot Cliff a warm smile, which he weakly returned.    He wondered how many people in the valley had figured out he was gay just by what happened when Skye came around…  “And didn’t the thief freeze you once Nami…?”  The girl frowned, but didn’t say anything.  “Now then, let me read what the note says…  ‘ _I’m to waltz into the Inner Inn at midnight.  With love, Phantom Skye_.’  Waltz, huh?  He sounds like a mighty bold thief.”

“You’re being way too casual about this,” Nami muttered at the older woman’s amusement.  Rock nodded in agreement.

“Yeah mom, this is a thief we’re dealing with after all!  This is the perfect chance to catch him and get famous!”  Nami rolled her eyes, muttering what sounded suspiciously like ‘ _idiot’_ under her breath.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Maybe you’re right,” Ruby spoke up before a fight could break out.  “But how are we supposed to catch him?”  Cliff didn’t think Rock could come up with a successful plan, but Nami…  He didn’t want to think about it.  They just _couldn’t_ catch Skye…

“We’ll need a plan.”

“And Cliff will help us, right?”

He looked between them, wishing they wouldn’t look so _hopeful_ …

“I suppose so...”

“Well, thank you sweetie,” Ruby said gently as the others left the inn, talking about finding others to help them.  “It means a lot…  Especially since I know you don’t want us to catch him.”

“W-what?”  He was doing an _excellent_ impression of a fish.  “I don’t, I mean, why would you think—”

“You don’t have to say anything.  I could hear two voices in your room last week when I marched Rock up to his room, and in the morning I found silver hairs on your pillow.  And I know they aren’t _yours_.  So unless you had Nina spending the night…”  She just had to laugh at the horrified look on his face.  The poor dear was so easy to tease.  “Don’t worry dear, your secret is safe with me.  Can’t say I like the fact that he’s a thief, but if anyone can reform the man, I’m sure it’s you.”

It wasn’t the first time Cliff had heard that, but it _was_ the first time a valley resident had said it.    Considering these were the people Skye stole from, it meant a little more.

“Ruby…  Thank you.  I’m trying my best.”  She nodded, chuckling pleasantly.

“I’m sure you are.  Well, I’ll see you later tonight!”  He agreed that he would, then left the inn.  Another trap…  He was worried about Nami, but surely with Rock helping out, it wouldn’t be anything Skye couldn’t easily get out of, right?

He headed for the waterfall to bide his time.  He knew he had to make everything up to his boyfriend, and he was going to find the perfect way to do it if it took all day.

\---

It ended up taking all day.  Nothing seemed good enough.  Saying sorry wasn’t enough—no words seemed to be.  But it came to him eventually.  He knew the perfect thing to give Skye…  As long as Skye still wanted it.  He supposed he’d find out after whatever happened with Nami and Rock’s plan.

As he walked back to the inn, he glanced towards the farm he had been at two weeks ago, the last time he had witnessed one of Skye’s thefts.  The sight he saw caused him to stumble though, his eyes widening.  There was Nami , Rock, and Ruby along with Marlin, Celia, and Vesta, honest to the Goddess holding a _pitchfork_.  Wasting no time, he sprinted to the inn.  Maybe Skye would be there early and he could warn him…

He practically tore the door off the hinges to get in, looking around frantically.  He called the thief’s name, hoping he might be upstairs or in a side room, but there was no answer.  He ran over to the kitchen—if he was going to steal something, it would _definitely_ be from the kitchen—and looked inside, but it was empty.

“Oh Goddess,” he prayed, not knowing if even Skye could get away from that many people, “please don’t let them catch him…”

_“There’s the thief!”_

_“It’s Phantom Skye!”_

The yelling that met his ears came from the direction of Vesta’s farm.  Had they spotted him before he could even begin his heist?  It didn’t matter; he ran as fast as he could back out the door.  He had to get there before…

He was stopped as a small body bumped into his.  An incredibly familiar body…

“Skye!  You’re alright!”  The thief stared up at his boyfriend, clear shock in his wide green eyes.  He looked like he had much to say—they _both_ did—but they knew now wasn’t the time nor the place.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much time tonight…” He glanced over his shoulder, glad to see they hadn’t caught up yet.  “Could you sort of look the other way?”  Cliff nodded, taking the chance and drawing him into a brief hug.

“I never saw you.”  Skye felt his heart race at the contact.  He’d spent three days thinking Cliff wanted nothing to do with him, but he was overjoyed to see he’d been wrong.

“Really?  You’ll cover for me?  A self-centered thief?”  He pulled away a little, a dazzling smile on his face.  “Thank you Cliff.  You know, you’re glowing with a vibrant beauty on this lovely night.”  It seemed not even guilt or the risk of being caught could stop Skye’s flirting, and Cliff had to let out a comforted chuckle at that.

“We still need to talk...”  Skye reluctantly pulled away completely, knowing their time was short.  Sure enough, the voices were coming closer…

“I know.  Meet me just outside the valley in an hour.  I’ll be waiting.”  With that, he turned and fled towards the direction of the turtle pond.  From there Cliff knew he could make it to the forest where’d he’d be safe.  He just needed to give Skye that chance.

“Cliff!”  Ruby’s voice filled the air as the group ran towards him.  “We got help, but then—”

“Phantom Skye slipped right past us!” Rock butted in, looking excited at the thrill of the chase.

“We think he went this way,” Nami continued, glancing around and frowning when she saw nothing.  “Ah…  Did he?”  Cliff shook his head.  He didn’t like to lie, but sometimes it was necessary.  This was _definitely_ one of those times.

“No, I didn’t see him.  I did see someone running towards the mansion though.  Maybe it was him?”  Only two of the six looked like they didn’t believe him.  Nami’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and Ruby wore an amused expression.  Neither said anything.

“That sneaky bastard!  Come on, after him!”  Even with one member of the ambush group not positive Cliff was telling the truth and another _completely_ sure he wasn’t, they ran off towards Romana’s mansion.

When he was alone, Cliff let out a relieved sigh.  Skye was going to be safe, they were going to talk, and everything was going to be fine.

…He hoped.

\---

Skye was waiting on the path just past the entrance to the valley.  The moonlight shone down upon him, and not for the first time when looking at him did Cliff lose his breath.  Skye was a bit shorter than he was, pale, slim…  Physically they were nothing alike despite their many other similarities, except maybe for the fact they both kept their hair longer than most men did.  Cliff had been told he was handsome before, but he didn’t think he held a candle to the sight before him.

“I’m glad you came.  I wasn’t really sure if you would.”

“Why wouldn’t I?  Everything that happened the other day was my fault.  I just…  I don’t react that well to my family sometimes.  I’m so sorry I walked out on you.  Especially on your birthday.”

“It’s just another day,” Skye commented with a shrug.  “It’s not all your fault though.  I wasn’t thinking.  If you don’t want to tell anyone about me, that’s fine.  I’m just… very pleased you still want anything to do with a spoiled brat such as myself.”

“I don’t think we’re going to agree on whose fault it was.”  He walked closer until he could take Skye in his arms, holding him close.  “So let’s just forgive each other, all right?”  Skye didn’t say anything, but Cliff could feel his nod.  He took a deep breath, wanting to say what he’d decided at the waterfall before he became too embarrassed.  “I’ve been thinking about how to make it up…  And I’m going to give you another present.  I don’t know if you’ll want it, but if you do…  I want you to have me.”

Skye looked up at him, his jaw agape at the insinuation.  Did he really mean what he _thought_ he meant?

“Cliff…  I _want_ to, but I think you’re giving me too much credit, my dear.  I’m a virgin too.”  Honestly, Cliff was shocked, to say the least.  True, Skye was only a year older than him, but he was rich and gorgeous, so how had he never been with a woman?  Sensing his boyfriend’s questions, Skye continued.  “I may be a flirt, but I have my standards.  I decided a long time ago, when every girl I knew was trying to get into my pants, that I wasn’t going to have sex until I was in love.

“And besides,” he continued, squirming a little in Cliff’s embrace, “you’ve been into guys a lot longer than I’ve been into you.  Not that I haven’t fantasized about it, but I think you’d know more about it than me, so…”

“You mean you want me to… to be on top?”  Skye nodded silently again, and even in the dark Cliff could tell he was blushing.  “If that’s what you want.  But you just said you wanted to wait until you’re in love.”

“I know,” Skye breathed, wondering if his heart would ever stop racing.  “I love you.”

 _There_.  He said it.  If Cliff didn’t feel the same or thought it was too soon, fine.  But Skye had gone his whole life surrounded by women who wanted him, and he’d never had anything more than a casual short-term fling.  Then Cliff had suddenly appeared in his life and he hadn’t been able to get him out of his head for even a moment.  He even dreamed about the man.  He was the only one Skye had ever loved, and he doubted there was anyone else who could make him feel that way.  Cliff was special; Cliff was _Cliff_.  And he loved him.

“I…”  He screwed his eyes shut, waiting for rejection.  “I love you too.”

They looked at each other for a few moments before they began to laugh, melting all of the past tension away.  They still had a lot to learn about each other and it wouldn’t be easy, but they were both willing to do it together.

They walked back to the inn, knowing that it was long past when anyone would be out.  Skye offered to climb in through his window, but Cliff told him he had an easier way.  He peaked into the inn before signaling that it was safe.  Skye followed him in, only to freeze at the sight of Ruby’s smiling face.

“Oh, don’t worry hun, I know all about you and Cliff.  You didn’t actually steal anything from me either, so I won’t tell anyone about this little rendezvous.”  She winked at the couple, and Cliff led his stupefied boyfriend upstairs before Nami or Rock could come out and see them.  Once safely in the room, he locked the door and clicked on the light.

“Ruby figured it out the last time you were here.  She’s the only one though.”  Skye made a noise that sounded like a cue to go on.  “So, did you want to… you know… here?”  Skye might have laughed at Cliff’s inability to say _sex_ aloud, if he weren’t so nervous himself.

“You live at the inn in Mineral Town, right?  Guess it depends on which place you think has thicker walls.”  Cliff wondered what he was talking about for a few moments before gasping.

“You mean you’re going to…”

“Yeah, if the offer is still open.  You said that girl can get me a job…  I don’t do mornings though.  My low blood pressure, you know.”  Cliff hadn’t known—well, the low blood pressure part at least; he knew Skye was dead on his feet when he had to get up early—but he didn’t dwell on it.

“This is great!” he cheered, wrapping his arms around Skye and kissing his lips briefly.  “I share a room with another guy to split the bill, but if you’re with me, we can get the empty room.  And I’m sure Doug will hire you, oh, and you can really meet my friends…”

Skye figured they weren’t going to make love that night as Cliff began telling him all about what they could do living together.  It was all right though.  Cliff was so happy, that it in turn made _him_ happy.  Fate had really come through for him, and he couldn’t have been more grateful.

\---

When Skye woke up, he immediately knew it was _way_ too early to not be sleeping anymore.  Cliff urged him on though, saying that they needed to leave before the valley’s residents woke up.  Skye didn’t complain, if only because he’d agreed to stay the night, wanting to know what it felt like to wake up next to someone you loved.  He decided that he liked it very much, but that it would have been nicer if it weren’t five-thirty in the morning.

They left the valley quickly, stopping just long enough for Cliff to leave Ruby a note thanking her for everything and explaining that he probably wouldn’t be back anytime soon.  He had a feeling she could guess why.  They took a slight detour to the dilapidated cabin, allowing Skye to stuff his few belongings in the bag he’d originally brought them from the city in, not really having anything else.  Most everything else had been in the abandoned cabin when he’d found it.  Cliff noted with a tinge of pride that Skye was packing away the containers his birthday presents had been packaged in.

“The love made all the difference,” Skye commented with a grin when he noticed his boyfriend’s gaze.  “I don’t need the rest of this junk.  Let’s get going.”

It was still early when they reached Mineral Town, and they’d chatted about this and that while they walked.  They decided that if Skye was going to have a fresh start, he’d need to go by his real name.  It was risky, but they knew they couldn’t lie about it forever.  If no one realized he was the infamous Phantom Skye, fine, but if they did…  Well, they’d deal with that when the time came.

He’d pointed out the inn when Skye had been there last, so the thief— _ex_ -thief Cliff hoped—knew his new home when they reached it.  Well, assuming he wouldn’t get run out of town if everyone realized who he was.

“Ready to go in?”  Skye blinked wearily up at the inn—seriously, what was he doing up at eight in the morning again?—and nodded.  If he was to live there, there was no use in being intimidated.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Cliff pushed open the doors and walked it, Skye close behind him.  The bar was deserted except for one person…

“Cliff, you’re back!  And hey, it’s your boyfriend!  Hi there!”  Skye smiled weakly and waved to the grinning redhead, figuring this must be the Ann girl whose father owned the place.  He didn’t know her, but he was grateful she was on their side.  Had it been at least two hours later, he would have been far more gracious about it too.

“Not so loud…”  Cliff muttered, his eyes flitting to the side to see his boyfriend’s reaction.  Skye looked ready to fall asleep standing right there, and he was rather relieved.  It was obvious Skye didn’t want to keep their relationship a secret, and Cliff wasn’t going to upset him over it again if he could help it, but he didn’t need all of Mineral Town knowing right away.  Surely, Skye wouldn’t object to taking it slowly…

“Sorry,” Ann said in a sing-song tone, not sounding in the least bit apologetic.  “I’m glad I finally get to meet him though.  _Twice_ now he’s been here and we haven’t gotten to talk.  I demand you let me get to know him a little before he leaves, got it Cliff?”  She frowned at him, but her eyes were twinkling with clear enjoyment.

“Don’t worry Ann, he’s not going anywhere this time.”  The redhead gasped as she finally noticed the bag that Skye was carrying.  Her grin got even wider as she realized what was happening.  “So, I guess dad can quit complaining about the empty room not being put to good use…  I’ll get you the key, okay?  Then let him sleep for a few hours before he passes out, and I’ll talk to dad about getting him a job here.  Sound good?”

While the two went through some details and Ann got the key, Skye glanced around and tried to remain conscious.  So this would be his home for a while…  He looked at Cliff and smiled to himself.  That was perfectly fine with him.

\---

Cliff left Skye to sleep for a few hours while he took care of a few things.  First on his list was to move his things from his old room to the new one.  No matter what Doug said about Skye working there, he certainly wouldn’t say no to the room switch.  With the pay he made he could certainly cover the both of them staying there, though he wasn’t going to tell his boyfriend that.  He wanted Skye to move completely away from thievery, and that meant getting him a job.  On the off chance Doug said no, he knew Duke or Carter could find something for him to do.  Still, Skye wanted to cook, and this was his chance.  He knew Doug well though, and he highly doubted he’d have to worry.

It was nearly nine, and that meant the room would be empty for a while.  Gray was at work and Kai was no doubt out with Popuri, leaving him ample time to gather his belongings in peace.  He knew he’d have to tell them, especially Gray, but he wasn’t _quite_ up to it yet.

He knew Gray would be one of the first people outside the three that already knew about his relationship with Skye.  They were friends, so surely he’d be okay with it, right?  He was from the city and was dating a very open-minded woman after all.  Plus, he never went to the valley.  Hopefully he wouldn’t know a thing about phantom thieves…

“Cliff, what are you _doing_?”

He stiffened at the familiar voice.  What was _he_ doing back here…?

“Um…  Hello Gray.  I thought you had work…”

“I do, but I forgot the brooch I’d been working on and had to come back for it.  That doesn’t answer why it looks like you’re packing though…”  Gray’s tone was full of suspicion, and Cliff supposed he didn’t blame the other man.  He’d almost left for good once before after all.

“I’m not leaving really…  I’m just moving into the empty room.”  Though he prayed to the Goddess Gray wouldn’t question why— _he wasn’t ready for this!_ —he knew it was coming regardless…

“Why?  What was wrong with staying with _me_?”  Anger crept into Gray’s voice, and no matter what he wanted or didn’t want to say at the moment, it was clear what he needed to do.  He just hoped he was right about Gray being tolerant.

“It has nothing to do with you, I swear. I just…  Remember my friend that came to visit me on my birthday?”  Gray nodded; he hadn’t seen him, but he remembered how happy Cliff had been at his party as he showed him and Ann the pendent he’d gotten as a gift from the man.  He’d thought it was odd for men to give other men jewelry, but then again…  “Well…  He’s moved to Mineral Town, and we’re sharing the other room.”

“Why couldn’t he just stay in here?”  Cliff fought a groan.  Gray certainly wasn’t making this easy for him.

“…For the same reason you wouldn’t want Mary to stay in here with me around.”

To be honest, Cliff didn’t know what he expected to happen.  So when Gray looked at him for a few seconds and then nodded with no hint of disgust, he was _extremely_ relieved.  Four down, the rest of the town to go.

“I see…  I guess that’s a good reason then.  I’ll be able to invite Mary up here once Kai leaves…  It works out for both of us…”  A small smile appeared on his face, no doubt from thoughts of Mary.  It was soon replaced by a more leering expression though.  “Just, you know, don’t be too loud when you’re screwing each other, okay?”

“Gray!”  Cliff’s face was immediately redder than the ruby in the brooch Gray grabbed off his stand, finally remembering his original purpose for being there.

“Yeah yeah, be as embarrassed as you want, but I leave for work earlier than you do, so you better not keep me up.”  Seeing the brunet’s face go a shade of red deeper, he decided to be nice and drop it.  “Anyway…  It was good being roommates with you, but I can see why you’d want to stay with your boyfriend instead of just a plain old friend.  …Sorry, what was his name again?”

Cliff paused for a moment before smiling.

“Skye.  His name is Skye.  And it was great being roommates with you too.”  He stuck out his hand, relieved when Gray shook it as if nothing had changed.  Maybe coming out wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

\---

“Come on dad, he’s Cliff’s friend and he _really_ needs a job.  Cooking is his specialty, and no offense, but you aren’t getting any younger.  If I’m gonna take over this place one day, I’ll need a good helper, and who knows if I’ll find a husband that can help me.  So please, let Skye have a job!”

Ann knew that as soon as her father had seemed skeptical she needed to put her all into it.  Cliff had told her, while his boyfriend was completely out of it and half asleep on his feet, that Skye—now going by his real name—was not only moving in, but also giving up thievery.  He needed a job and a place to cook though, and Ann knew just as much as Cliff did that this was perfect.  Skye would be close, Ann would have help, and Cliff wouldn’t have to worry about him.  Now if only her dad would go with it…

“You handle the cooking just fine though, and I do the bar…”

“Trust me dad, having someone else, who’s living here with Cliff no less, will make things a _lot_ easier.  Plus, if he helps with the cooking I’ll…”  She paused and raced for something that would seal the deal for her father.  “I’ll have more time to find a husband!”

Before Cliff, Doug had always told his daughter that she should act and dress more feminine to attract a husband, but she’d never wanted to change herself for a man.  She still had no intention of doing that, but she knew he still wanted her to find a husband, especially after she’d told him very bluntly that he needed to stop trying to hook her and Cliff up because neither of them were interested.  Well, more that _he_ wasn’t _and_ he was taken, but Doug didn’t need to know that yet.

“…Okay, he can split your duties.  Maybe I can show you both how to run the bar too…”  She grinned widely and hugged Doug.  Just as planned!

“Thank you so much dad!  Oh, I’ll go tell him right now!”  Then she sped off, leaving Doug to wonder where she got all her energy from…

\---

Skye didn’t remember falling asleep, but then again he didn’t remember getting to his new room either, yet when he awoke that was where he assumed he must be.  After rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning a few times, he was able to focus enough to take a good look around.  It was a cozy little room, with a large bed, a dresser, a stand, and a table with two chairs.  He smiled as it finally hit him.

 _This was his new home_.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he really felt like he was in a place he could call home.  That rundown shack definitely wasn’t it, nor was the apartment he’d lived in after he’d moved out from his family’s manor.  Even there as a child, he’d never really been comfortable.  But here, even having only been to Mineral Town a few times, he knew this was the right place.  He could just _feel_ it.

‘ _But will my reputation proceed me…?_ ’  The thought had been with him since the day he realized people from Mineral Town went to Forget-Me-Not Valley.  He’d never met any of them aside from Cliff, and at least a few of his boyfriend’s friends knew too, so there was hope at least.  He wasn’t naïve enough to think everyone in the town would be okay with him being there—whether because they realized he was a thief or when they inevitably found out he was dating Cliff—but he’d put up with worse things, he was sure.

“Hey, you up in there?”  A voice he recognized as belonging to the redheaded girl who lived there came through from the hall.  Well, this was his chance to make a good impression.  Cliff had mentioned this was one of his two best friends, and he’d potentially be working for her.

“Yes, of course.  Please, do come in Ann.”  Soon a cheerful young woman popped into the room, grinning broadly at him.

“Good morning Skye!  Cliff’s at work right now, but you probably guessed that since he’s not here…  Everyday but Saturday he leaves at ten and gets out at four, though he said he’d try to get out early today.”  Her eyes practically sparkled as she spoke, and she bounced on her heels excitedly.  “But anyway, I have great news!  Dad said he’ll hire you!  We didn’t really work out the details yet, but I’m sure he’ll give you Saturday off so you and Cliff can have that time together, and we aren’t open on Holidays either.  Cliff said you don’t do mornings, and that’s okay, cause I don’t start working till ten thirty anyway.  Oh!  It’s gonna be great to have someone to help!  We’ll have a great time!”

She waved her hands around animatedly as she spoke, going on about what they’d do and random bits of information about the inn as they popped into her mind.  She was an interesting girl, that was certain.  And it seemed she truly was on their side…

Maybe not all of Mineral Town would be so welcome, but it was nice to see that at least _someone_ accepted him.

\---

For a few hours, Cliff worked diligently, not stopping for even a moment.  If he worked hard enough, he figured, Duke wouldn’t mind letting him off a few hours early.  He knew he was pushing it—he’d just had a few days off not long ago after all—but he didn’t like the thought of leaving Skye there by himself before he knew if his boyfriend was doing alright.  What if he was wrong and Doug was completely against Skye even being there?  What if he’d already been found out?  What if—

“Cliff dear, at this rate you’ll have the whole orchard pruned within the hour!  Whatever is your big hurry?  Does this have to do with a certain someone?  Oh, you aren’t still fighting are you?  I know you’ve been moping the past few days, but you seemed to be in such good spirits when you got here I figured you must have made up while you were gone yesterday, and…  Cliff, are you listening?”

He  sighed and turned to Manna.  Goddess knew he loved her like family, but sometimes she was just too much…

“We…  We did make up.  That’s not the problem.  You see…  He agreed to move in with me, so he’s at the inn and hopefully Ann was able to convince Doug to get him a job.  I’m just worried is all.”

Something amazing happened then.  Manna didn’t launch into a rambling speech or ask for every little detail, but instead merely hugged him and whispered that everything would be alright.  Then she pulled away and, smiling brightly, told him to head home in another hour.

He took back what he thought before.  Manna was fine just the way she was.

\---

When Cliff arrived back at the inn, he was greeted by the sight of Ann teaching Skye how the cash register worked.  Relief coursed over him; Skye had the job.  _Perfect_.

The two looked up as Cliff shut the door behind himself and waved.  He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he waved back and walked over to the bar.  To think that it hadn’t been long at all that he didn’t even know who Skye was, and now the man was his boyfriend.  Who was _living_ with him.  Even as little as a two seasons ago he never thought that he’d ever be loved, but now…

He felt his heart swell as Skye’s bright green eyes met his, seeing him, _only_ him, flaws and all, yet still filled with love.  His life was truly more perfect then it ever had been.


	6. Chapter 6

Four weeks passed quickly, leaving Mineral Town in the midst of Fall.  Skye had decided that it was a very beautiful time of year the first day he looked out the window and saw the brightly colored leaves littered over the streets.  His opinion hadn’t changed that day as he sat at the bar with Ann, staring out the window as she hummed something he didn’t recognize and wiped at the wooden surface with a rag.

“What are you thinking about?”

Over the weeks, he and Ann had become quite good friends, which honestly surprised him a little.  He wasn’t exactly the easiest person to get along with, and besides, he could tell she harbored feelings for Cliff that weren’t purely platonic.  He didn’t think he’d be able to sit back and support Cliff in a relationship with her as she was doing with him.  Still, other than briefly chatting with Carter, Gray, Kai before he’d left for the Summer, and a few of the bar’s regular patrons, he didn’t really know anyone else.  It didn’t matter too much considering he was used to being alone and Cliff was more than enough, but still…

He couldn’t deny that having a friend that wasn’t using him for his money or his body was nice.

“Just how lovely this town truly is.  It’s been like a dream being here…  Though I can’t help but wonder how long my good fortune will last.”  Ann sat the rag down with a slight frown at his tone.

“What do you mean?  What in the world could go wrong?”

“You mean besides everyone realizing I was the Phantom Thief in Forget-Me-Not Valley?  Or that I’m in a relationship with another man?  Oh, nothing I suppose.”  She ignored his sarcasm and settled for rolling her eyes.

“Come on, that was in the past.  They all care more about our resident con artist anyway.”  That peaked Skye’s interest.  He knew he barely left the Inn, but surely Cliff would have told him about a con artist…  Sensing his curiosity, Ann continued.  “You’ve never met him, and I don’t think Cliff has either…  Actually, I haven’t even _really_ met him, but I’ve heard enough stories.  His name is Won, and he has a shop set up in Zach’s house out on the beach with outrageous prices.  Plus, he comes around to people’s houses trying to sell overpriced junk, making it seem like the greatest stuff in the world.  He doesn’t come to the Inn, but everyone else seems really annoyed by him.  I think Jack and Rick are the only ones to ever even give him the time of day, and even then, I’m only going by what Karen tells me.”  Skye thought that sounded more like every salesman in the world rather than a con artist, but in a little town like this he supposed that was a horrid occupation.  Suddenly his confidence that anyone would accept him plummeted, but he didn’t let it show.

“And my second dilemma?”

“Well, I don’t ever remember hearing anyone say anything that made them sound homophobic…  And besides, everyone likes Cliff!”  Yes, he’d quickly gathered that.  A few of the other girls seemed to let their eyes linger on his boyfriend a bit too long…  He knew he had no reason to be jealous, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“But you don’t know anyone else who is gay, do you?”  After all, hypothetical situations were one thing, but an actual event was entirely another.

“Well…  No.  All the other guys I know are dating girls or married, or just don’t interact with anyone…  Well, Rick isn’t dating anyone, but everyone knows he likes Karen.  I feel kinda bad she ditched him for Jack, but that isn’t my business I guess…”

Rick…  Jack…  Karen…  Did he even know any of these people…? Wait, Jack was the farmer, Karen was the girl who came in to get drunk on a regular basis, and Rick was that geeky looking blond guy who came in with her sometimes.  Best friends, he believed he’d heard early on in his employment.  He hadn’t known the girl was dating the farmer, though if he was perfectly honest, he didn’t care either.  Karen reminded him far too much of the girls back in the city.

“Hmm, I suppose not…  I’ll just take your word for all this then.  Thank you Ann.  Talking to you is always a lovely experience.”  She smacked him with her rag, laughing at the slightly disgusted expression on his face as he looked at the dirty piece of cloth.

“Come on, if anyone heard you, they might think you liked me!  What would Cliff think?”  Honestly, he thought Cliff might be relieved.  The only thing _he_ was truly worried about was being found out as a thief; despite his questions, he really didn’t care what anyone thought if they discovered he loved Cliff, only if they might hurt his boyfriend because of it.  But Cliff himself had shown no sign of wanting anyone but the four people who already knew knowing anyway.  He didn’t like it; not at all…

But he didn’t want to lose Cliff either.  He’d finally found what he’d been waiting for in life, and if going at Cliff’s pace was what it took to not drive him off, so be it.  After all, they couldn’t keep it a secret forever.  He could wait…

\---

Cliff took a deep breath and wiped his brow as he carried the last bushel of grapes down to the cellar.  Thankfully, the day hadn’t been nearly as hectic as it had been just a few days prior, during the big harvest.  Even with Jack’s extra help—just as he had the last year, when Cliff actually got the job—it had been hard work.  Though, in a way, he supposed it helped him.  His fatigue had given him an excuse to get right to bed…

Though he knew he couldn’t hide forever.  He and Skye had been together for over two seasons now, and they still hadn’t…  He groaned in embarrassment.  He couldn’t even think it!  He didn’t know what his problem was.  He loved Skye, Skye loved him, and they both wanted it, but Cliff just couldn’t seem to do anything, and it was really starting to drive him insane.  Skye wanted to come out; Cliff wasn’t ready.  Skye wanted to make love; Cliff always seemed to freeze.  Skye never complained, and that only seemed to make it worse.  The silver-haired man wasn’t exactly the epitome of selflessness.  No, he was rather self-centered and certainly very self-assured.  So for him to not push things meant that he really loved Cliff and didn’t want to pressure him.  Even knowing all of this, Cliff still felt guiltier than he had in quite a while.

“I’m no good at this…”

“No good at what?”  Cliff jumped at the sudden voice, calming down a bit when he saw it was only Duke.  Then he panicked again, as he really didn’t know how to answer the question.

“Um, well…  You see, it’s just…”  Between his flushed face and nervous stuttering, Duke’s mind went right where most of the town seemed to go, much to his embarrassment …

“Oh, I get it, you wanna get closer to Ann, huh?”  The older man’s grin made Cliff uncomfortable, but maybe for once the mistake would help him.

“If you want be intimate with the person you love,” he began, the hesitation evident in his voice, “but you always freeze when the time comes…  Is that… normal?”  Honestly, he wouldn’t know.  He’d never had a real boyfriend before.  It definitely didn’t seem normal, but Duke had been married for a long time and had a daughter around his age.  Surely, he must have some good advice…

“Maybe if you’re a blushing schoolgirl!”  …Or not.

“W-what?”  Duke laughed heartily, and Cliff wondered if he should have gone to Manna instead.

“You’re freezing up because you’re thinking about it too much!  Just stop thinking about getting caught or messing up and let those manly instincts of yours kick in.  Ann’s not gonna care if things are perfect when you’re both young and in love.  That comes after the honeymoon, ha!”

As Duke laughed at his joke, Cliff pondered his words.  Well, he _was_ concerned that someone would hear—Doug especially.  And he _was_ afraid he’d do something wrong…

“Thank you.  I think I understand now.”  Duke quieted down and shook his head, a knowing grin on his face.

“Cliff, you’re like a son to me and Manna.  Don’t worry about asking for help from us, alright?  That’s what family is for.”  Cliff couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he nodded.

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”

\---

“I’m back.”  Two heads lifted as the brunet walked into the otherwise empty bar.  Ann smiled and waved, and while Skye did the same, he wished he could just go over there and _kiss_ his boyfriend as a welcome.  He was trying his best to be patient, but it wasn’t one of his strong suits.  At all.

“Is the harvest rush finally dying down?”  Ann asked politely, already knowing that if Jack was done helping, it was.  Mostly, she didn’t want any awkward silences between the two men in the room.  Something was bothering Skye—more than he was telling her—and Cliff was on edge about something.  Neither of them would come out and say there was a problem though, so she figured she wouldn’t push it.  Well, not unless it became a serious issue at least.

“Yes, it was pretty calm today.”  He was fidgeting where he stood, looking at Skye, then down at the floor.

Skye was waiting for him to say how tired he was, just as he’d been doing.  _Every single night_.  Skye was beginning to think he was going to stay a virgin until they moved out of the inn, and who knew how long that would take? Fine, he could wait if it kept Cliff happy.  It was hard not to feel a little bitter that the biggest reason for it was Cliff’s fear of being outed though.  And while part of him knew that Cliff had gone through things to give him that fear, he had a hard time thinking that the people of Mineral Town would be the same way.  If the pastor could accept it, surely the townsfolk could.

“Ann, do you mind if I talk to Skye for a while…?” Ann nodded quickly, desperately wishing she knew what was going on, but knowing that it was best not to pry.  Yet.

Skye was confused as he followed Cliff, who immediately headed upstairs without anything more than a muttered “thanks” to their friend.  Neither man broke the silence until they were safely in their room, door locked.  Cliff gestured for Skye to sit down, but he didn’t move an inch.  He just stared at Cliff, and Cliff knew that his boyfriend was obviously expecting some new excuse.  He just hoped he could say what he needed to before he lost his nerve…

“I want to have sex with you!”

Skye could only stare at first, his mind going blank at the sudden confession.  Then, slowly, he came to his senses and, much to his chagrin, felt his face flush.

“Y-you do?  Well, haha, that’s wonderful!  And, ah, when do you plan on making this happen exactly…?”  Girls had thrown themselves at his feet and offered him their body right there and he hadn’t even blinked, but here came Cliff, who was making him flustered with a single sentence.  But at least it couldn’t get worse.

“I don’t know…”  He stepped closer to Skye.  “Maybe…”  When he was mere steps away, he brought a hand up to Skye’s face and cupped his cheek.  Skye thought it was awfully unfair that he didn’t look nearly as nervous as Skye felt.  “Now?”

“Now…?” Skye repeated lamely, wondering how something he’d wanted so badly was suddenly making him act completely foolish.  His face was red, his knees were weak, and he could barely form a coherent thought, and Cliff hadn’t done anything but chastely touch him.

If he hadn’t already known just how much he loved Cliff, this certainly would have told him.

“Unless you don’t want to.”  Of course, he did.  There was nothing he wanted more at the moment.

“Cliff…”  He allowed his boyfriend to wrap his arms around his waist and pull him close.  “Show me the moon and the stars.”

And with the rest of the world forgotten, that was exactly what Cliff did.

\---

The next time Ann saw Cliff and Skye, things were a bit… awkward.  Not between them, oh no, they were as happy as could be, and she could guess why after Skye never came back.

No, it was because of her father.

When Doug had returned the night before, he’d been very suspicious as to Skye’s whereabouts.  Ann had put two and two together at that point and told him Skye hadn’t felt well and went to bed, but he hadn’t seemed to buy it.

She hadn’t known why at first; he’d believed the roommates excuse so far, why stop now?  But then she noticed the letter he’d set on the counter from someone named Vesta in Forget-Me-Not Valley…  And then she remembered when Cliff told her about a woman named Vesta who hated the Phantom Thief and wanted to run him through with a pitchfork…

She wouldn’t deny that she felt nervous.  Very nervous in fact.  She liked Skye a lot but there were plenty of people only hours away that wanted his head on a platter.  If anyone _there_ knew about Skye being _here_ and told everyone in Mineral Town about it…

It could be bad for Skye.  Cliff too, because Ann had no doubts that Cliff would stand by Skye.  She would too, but it would all be so much easier if they just never found out…

She hadn’t gotten to look at the letter before the inn closed, but Doug had left it on the counter, and she’d gotten to peak at it that morning before anyone else was up.  Only one part stayed in her mind.

_Cliff was a good kid, but it was mighty suspicious that the Phantom Thief disappeared when he stopped coming down here.  You’d all best watch out or you might find your things missing too._

Maybe they were all being naïve, thinking Skye wouldn’t get caught eventually.  But he hadn’t been around long enough to let people know him, to see that he was a good guy and more than a petty thief.  Cliff and Ann knew, and a few select others like Carter, but that wouldn’t be enough if the secret got out already.  She was glad the letter didn’t mention Skye by name, but her father didn’t trust him as it was, and this was definitely implicating that the thief disappearing from the valley and appearing at the inn with Cliff at the same time weren’t coincidences.

But then Cliff went to work and her, Doug, and Skye were alone.  And the uncomfortable atmosphere slowly thickened.

“So Skye, Ann tells me you were sick last night.”  To his credit, Skye was an amazing actor.  He turned on his dazzling smile and nodded.  Ann just hoped that Skye’s charm would be enough.

“Yes, I’m afraid I was feeling rather under the weather.  No worries though, I feel fine after getting some sleep.”  It wasn’t even really a lie, Ann thought.  Only, he’d been emotionally troubled, and Cliff had helped him with that.  Though she was positive that more than _sleep_ had happened.

“Hmm…”  Doug turned away, and bristled when he noticed the letter on the counter, right as he’d left it.  Ann had made sure nothing was different about it, and made no comment as he shoved it in his pocket, though she kept a close eye on his expression.  Sure enough, he kept glancing at Skye, though he didn’t seem to notice.  “Well, keep a close eye on things Ann.  I need to see Harris this morning, so you’re in charge until I get back.”

He left quickly, and she could help but roll her eyes.  As if she wasn’t in charge most of the time those days anyway!  It wasn’t as if Skye cared about that; all he wanted to do was cook anyway.

She tried not to be concerned about her father going to see Harris of all people, but it was difficult.

“So,” she began, deciding not to worry Skye about it when she herself didn’t know what was going on, “you’re a lot more cheerful than you were before you left with Cliff yesterday.”  He laughed and sent her a friendly wink.

“I believe it’s in bad taste to kiss and tell,” he joked, and Ann couldn’t stop the grin that found its way to her face.

“Since when did you care about things like that?”  He laughed again, and it hit Ann that maybe this line of questioning might not be in very good taste on her part when Skye knew that she had been in love with his boyfriend as of only a few seasons ago.  But he didn’t look upset at all.

“Very true!  However, for Cliff’s sake, I’m afraid I must keep the details to myself.”  His smile turned slightly dreamy, as he no doubt remembered something Cliff had done or said.  “Let’s just say that I’m very lucky to have met Cliff. I don’t think I could have met a better person than him.”

She was inclined to agree, and though it still stung, she could honestly say that she was very happy for them.  She just hoped her fears were unfounded, and that her father’s letter meant nothing.

\---

That evening, Doug was still gone when Cliff returned from work.  He seemed as agitated as he had the night before, but in a different sense.  He was almost angry, and though Skye was bewildered by it, Ann felt a sense of dread come over her.

“Harris came to the winery,” he explained when Skye asked what was wrong.  “He said Doug came to him this afternoon and reported a string of small thefts here in the past few weeks.  He thinks the Phantom Thief from Forget-Me-Not Valley must have left there and come here, and wanted to know if any of us had noticed anything missing.”

Skye couldn’t speak; he didn’t know how to react to that, as he knew very well he’d taken nothing and had no reason to.  Ann however, was furious and had _plenty_ to say.

“I can’t believe him!” she shouted, making both men jump.  “He suspects Skye because of that stupid letter he got, and now he’s spreading lies?  How dare he!”

“What letter?”  Cliff questioned, subconsciously seeking out Skye’s hand on the counter and gently squeezing it.  Skye still didn’t say anything.

Ann told them about the contents of the letter and her observations of her father, and she didn’t think she’d seen Cliff so upset as he looked now.

“What has Skye ever done to Doug?  I just don’t—”

“I do.”  They whipped their heads towards Skye, who smiled sadly.  “I understand.  Isn’t it obvious?  He wants you to marry Ann.  Either he suspects we’re together or just thinks I’m a friend distracting you from romance, but either way, I’m an obstacle.  One who was a criminal in the recent past and for all he knows, could relapse at any time.  Honestly, I’m a little surprised neither of you asked if what he said was true…”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”  This time it was Cliff’s outburst that surprised the other two.  “Of course I know you didn’t do anything.  I trust you Skye, and you haven’t given me any reason not to.  Just…  Please don’t let this get to you.  We’ll…  We’ll get through this, I promise.”

Cliff couldn’t help but feel guilty at his own words.  How many times had Skye tried to get him to stop worrying about people finding out about them?  And this was potentially more dangerous—even if Skye hadn’t done anything wrong in Mineral Town, he’d still stolen in the valley.  What if Harris sent him back to the hands of Vesta?  No, he wouldn’t let that happen.

He swore right then that he would never, _ever_ let such a thing happen.

Skye’s smile brightened a bit, and he rose Cliff’s hand to his lips, placing a kiss to the back of it.  Ann hoped they hadn’t forgotten she was there…  Oh who was she kidding, she knew that she’d be okay with that.  But now wasn’t the time for those kind of thoughts.  No, they needed to figure out what to do before—

“I’m back.”  …Before Doug came home.

Ann didn’t trust herself to stay calm, so she merely shot him a hard look.  He wasn’t paying attention to her though, and she followed his gaze…  It landed where Cliff and Skye’s hands were intertwined.  She almost gasped, especially when she saw the defiant expression on Cliff’s face.  Even Skye seemed shocked.  Cliff hadn’t let go.  _Cliff wasn’t going to let go_.

“Tch.”  Doug walked past them all and headed behind the counter to the door that led to his and Ann’s living quarters.  When he reached the door, he paused.  “…You don’t work for me anymore, thief.”

The door slammed behind him before anyone could say a word.

Ann was ready to go after him; her face was flushed with anger and she had every intention of giving him a piece of her mind.  Oddly, it was Skye who calmly asked her to stop.

“I should have known better than to think it would be this easy.  Even if he can’t prove it now, he’ll be able to as soon as anyone from the valley can come confirm I’m the Phantom.”  He chuckled; it was a hollow sound.  “I should be glad he didn’t kick us out actually.  I suppose he could have.”

“And I could have let you go, but I didn’t.  Because we need to stop running…  Both of us.  Skye, I love you, and I’ll stand by you no matter what.  I don’t want to hide anymore.  So let’s make the town accept us for all that we are, okay?  Let’s do this together.”

Ann tactfully looked away as Skye got up and buried himself in Cliff’s arms.  She would help them all she could, and she knew Carter and Manna would too.  Cliff and Skye were important to her, and she wouldn’t let them down.  Not even for her father.  _Especially_ not for her father when he was acting like this.

It was going to be hard.  No doubt, rumors were going to spread about Skye, and they would all be surprised if everyone didn’t know about Skye and Cliff’s relationship within a day.  Some people would approve, some would condemn, and some wouldn’t care either way.

One thing was for certain though: they wouldn’t be going through it alone.


	7. Chapter 7

Skye no longer had a job.  It wasn’t so bad, because Cliff was paid well and he could look for something else, but it _was_ a problem that he soon wouldn’t have a place to live.

It really hadn’t surprised him when he’d woken up that morning, not even a full day after Doug fired him, to be told he had a week to find someplace new before he was kicked to the streets.  What _did_ surprise him, however, was that the ultimatum was extended to Cliff as well—Cliff could stay on his own, but no more Skye, period.  Cliff had calmly told him that they’d be packed and gone within the week, because they were a set, and if Skye wasn’t welcome, he didn’t want to be there anyway.

The gesture meant the world to Skye, but he didn’t want to drag Cliff down with him.  He didn’t know where they could go, especially not when they’d be going together.  Sure, Cliff had people who would take him in, but not Skye.  And anyone who’d take them as a pair—like Carter—didn’t have the room.  Ann was trying tooth and nail to change her father’s mind, but he honestly wished she would let it go.  It was bad enough that Cliff was being punished because of his actions; he didn’t want to be the cause of a rift between one of his few friends and her father as well.

But where to go?  The easiest option would be to leave Mineral Town and go somewhere where no one knew him as the Phantom Thief.  It wouldn’t be hard.  Maybe he could finally track down his older brother and see if he could help.  But he knew Cliff loved the town, so he wouldn’t even suggest it.  No, he needed a plan for living in Mineral Town…

And soon, an idea came to him in the form of a small house, with a sign posted on the lawn.

_For Sale_

It was a rash idea.  He _knew_ he’d end up regretting it.  But…  What other choice did he have?  It wasn’t just for him, it was for Cliff too.  It was for _them_.

He just prayed it would work.

\---

When Cliff had left for work, Skye had left the inn with him, not wanting to be anywhere near Doug.  Yet, when he returned, Skye was sitting at the bar.  Not drinking, but on the phone, frantically scribbling something on a scrap of paper.  Ann was watching him in awe.  Doug was nowhere to be seen.

“Yes, thank you very much,” Skye finally said after a few more moments of jotting things down.  “Goodbye.”  He set the phone back in its cradle and turned to Cliff, a strange smile on his face.  “I hope you don’t mind living across from a bunch of chickens.”

“What…?  Skye, what’s going on?”  He didn’t go down that road very often, so it took him a few moments to remember what was there besides the Poultry Farm and the Blacksmith.  When he did, his eyes widened.  “Wait, the house that’s for sale?  Skye, we can’t afford—”

“Oh, butI _can_ ,” Skye cut him off, lowering his gaze to the floor.  “I’m rich, remember?  I’ve already spoken to the mayor, and I was just on the phone with the bank.  It’s done.  I just have to sign the papers and we own the house, completely paid off.  We can start moving in tomorrow.”

“But you said…”  Cliff trailed off, not knowing what to think of all this.  Skye bought a house.  For the two of them.  No warning, just went ahead and bought a _house_ in one go.  He supposed he shouldn’t be so surprised.  He’d known Skye was from a wealthy family.  But…  “You said if you used your bank account, your parents could find you.”

“Yes, they can and they probably will.”  Skye looked up, meeting Cliff’s gaze steadily.  “But so what?  If they come, what will they do?  I’m an adult; I don’t have to go anywhere with them.  And if they freeze the account, so be it.  We _needed_ that house.  If it’s the only thing I get to buy before never seeing a single coin of that money again, at least I’ll know it went to something important.”

“What do you think your parents will do?”  Ann asked, still looking dazed from the knowledge that Skye had access to that much money.  Cliff felt the same.

“…I’m not sure,” he admitted, a hint of worry in his eyes that he couldn’t hide.  “I doubt they’d waste their time coming here.  But they might send…”  He trailed off, gently biting his lower lip as he thought of something Cliff couldn’t even begin to guess.  All things considered, he really didn’t know much about Skye’s past…

That didn’t seem right.  They’d been together long enough.  They’d been intimate.  They were moving into their own place together.  He should know these things…

“Let’s not worry about that yet,” Cliff finally spoke up when it became clear that Skye wouldn’t be finishing that thought.  “You should see the mayor and I’ll start packing.  If we can leave tomorrow, we probably should!”

As frightening as the prospect of actually settling down was—having a permanent job and a house and a lover—Cliff couldn’t help but feel excited.  He was going to be living with Skye and only Skye, no one to interrupt them or judge them…  He never thought this would happen to him.

And as Skye agreed to the plan and Ann offered to help him pack, the threat of someone coming for Skye completely left his mind.

\---

The papers were signed, the money was transferred, and the house officially belonged to Skye and Cliff.

Everyone remotely involved with the couple had different reactions.

Ann was on the fence.  She was glad that her friends were going to be happy together, but she was still angry with her father for putting them in that position.  She’d barely spoken to him since he fired Skye.

Doug was happy to see them out, but he grumbled about them buying the house, claiming that Skye must have stolen the money to buy it.  Mayor Thomas, however,  didn’t have any reason to believe the money came from unlawful means, so he had no reason to reject all of that gold that could go back into the community.

Gray was sad to see Cliff go, but when he realized the house was next door to where he worked, he laughed, telling Cliff he might have to hide over there when his grandfather was being unreasonable.  Saibara himself didn’t care who his neighbors were so long as they weren’t loud and obnoxious.

Carter stopped by before they left the inn to offer his congratulations, as well as fluster Cliff by pulling him aside and assuring him that if Cliff ever got a blue feather, well, Carter wouldn’t turn down performing a ceremony.

Manna had gushed forever when Cliff stopped by work that morning to tell her he’d be in late because he had to help move.  She’d insisted he just take the day off, but Cliff had seen no reason when they didn’t have a lot to move in the first place.

Duke was confused.

“…Why are you gonna be living with that guy?”

Cliff had flushed and stammered and tried to ignore Manna’s giggling as he finally told Duke the truth about Skye.  He was scared out of his wits, but he’d made up his mind.  No more hiding.

“Then you two…  Not Ann…  _Oh_.”

They looked at each other, not saying anything, until Cliff thought he might die of anticipation.  He didn’t know what he’d do if Duke shunned him.  But then Duke drew him into a quick embrace, assuring Cliff that this didn’t change anything.  Cliff was just like his son, and he accepted him.

Cliff felt the last major weight lift off his shoulders.  Duke, Manna, Carter, and Ann were the ones who really mattered, and they all supported him and Skye.  Everything was looking up.

\---

After their belongings were moved and Cliff left to work for the rest of the day, it didn’t take long for Skye to realize that he still had nothing to do.  It didn’t take long to unpack, and though he’d had the foresight to withdraw money when he’d paid for the house—he knew if they hadn’t frozen the accounts it was solely to find where he was, and now that they knew, he would never have it open to him again—he didn’t want to go out by himself.

He hadn’t told Cliff about some of the looks he’d gotten when he’d gone out alone.  There were people who were nervous about the rumors of him being the Phantom Thief, or perhaps they’d heard about him and Cliff.  At this point, neither would surprise him.  He was sure Doug hadn’t kept either fact from the town.  They had allies and they had those who were completely neutral, but there were plenty of people who didn’t trust him one bit.  He hated that Cliff was being dragged in by association, but he realized that he couldn’t do this alone.  If he tried to be noble and leave Cliff to spare him the pain, he knew he’d never make it.  He was alright with being selfish; it wasn’t anything new.

He wondered what would happen when the inevitable occurred and he was exposed as the Phantom Thief.  Would the good word of a few villagers be enough to convince everyone that he’d changed?  Or would they believe Doug’s lies?  He honestly didn’t know, but he was trying to stay hopeful.  If not for him, then for Cliff.  His lover was very fond of Mineral Town, and he wasn’t going to give up and run off when Cliff was comfortable there.

And Skye had to admit, as he looked around his little house, he liked it there too.  He had a boyfriend and a real friend, and there were people who liked him for _him_ , not his money.  He wasn’t cooking yet, but his dream hadn’t ended just because of a setback.

If Skye were honest, the biggest thing he feared was…

He shook his head to get that thought out of his mind.  He was being foolish!  Surely, enough time had passed that _she_ wouldn’t come after him, even if his parents told her where he was.  Right?  She would have moved on with her life and forgotten all about him…

No, he was afraid because he _didn’t_ think it was such a farfetched thought.  That girl had never taken no for an answer…  But now he had more than just himself to worry about.  If she really came after him, he and Cliff were going to have bigger problems than what the villagers thought about them.

He sent a prayer to the Harvest Goddess that they’d just be left alone.

\---

They had only been gone for three days when Ann realized that she deeply missed their company.

She had thought she’d be okay, but in the short time he’d been around, she’d come to enjoy Skye’s friendship a lot.  And Cliff…  Well, she was slowly getting over him, but she honestly thought that seeing him and Skye helped speed up that process a lot more than her being stuck tending the inn, alone most of the time, unless someone felt like getting drunk.

Now they were gone and she was worried about them and _bored out of her mind_.  At least, she was until she heard the door open and a familiar face came in.  The sight of the patron—alone—was enough to make her realize something interesting was about to happen.

“Hey Rick,” she greeted with her normal grin.  “Where’s Karen?”

Even though Karen had been dating Jack for seasons, her friendship with Rick hadn’t changed.  They still came to the inn a few nights a week and drank until Karen could barely see straight.  It was rather concerning…  Even more so that Rick was alone.  But she didn’t let her worry show.

“She told me Jack wants her to cut down on her drinking…  Something about how she won’t be able to when they get married and she gets pregnant, so she might as well try to stop now.”  He sat on a barstool, and if the thought of Karen getting married and having children with another man bothered him, he didn’t show it.  It only added to the mystery—Ann had never doubted that Rick loved Karen, even though they’d never dated.

“Drinking alone then?”  She hoped he didn’t get offended, but she knew he didn’t actually like to drink that much, so it seemed odd he’d be here without Karen, or at least because of her.  When he shook his head, she knew without a doubt that her boredom was going to die out soon.

“No, I just…  I want to ask you something.”  He wouldn’t look up from the counter, but Ann could tell he was nervous.  “It’s about Cliff and Skye…”

Ann wasn’t surprised that anyone who wanted to know about them would come to her.  Least of all Rick, who had been in the inn enough to see how well she and Skye had gotten along.  No, she was just surprised that Rick would have any problem with them, no matter which topic he was thinking of.  And as one of their new neighbors, him having issues with them could certainly be troublesome.

“What about them?”  She tried to keep her tone light, especially since she’d been friends with Rick a lot longer than she’d known Cliff or Skye combined.  But if he was about to say something _dumb_ , she was going to call him on it.

“I know you’re the closest one to them, so I thought you’d be the best person to ask if…”  He trailed off, and Ann was interested to see that his cheeks were slightly flushed.  “I mean…  Are they a…  A couple?”

“Why do you want to know…?”  He couldn’t look her in the eyes.  She frowned, despite knowing he wouldn’t see her disappointment.

“Because I…”  He sighed and closed his eyes, as if gathering his courage.  “I want to ask them some things, but if they aren’t, I’ll look completely foolish!”

“…Wait a minute.”  Her frown was gone, a look of epiphany coming to her face in its place.  “Are you saying what I _think_ you’re saying?  What about Karen?”

“What _about_ Karen?” he questioned, finally looking up at her.  He looked vaguely annoyed at the question.  “Everyone just _assumed_ I liked her, so I let them.  It was a lot easier!  Do you know how horrible being the only gay person in town would have been?  But I really…  I really like someone, and I want to get some advice.  I just don’t like feeling so alone…”  His voice got quieter as he went on, and his tone turned progressively more pained.  Ann already had two friends in a tight spot; she didn’t think she could handle another one.

“Yes, the rumors about them are true,” she admitted, a feeling of relief washing over her when his face lit up.  “But don’t go saying anything!  That’s up to them to tell people!”

“I know that,” he assured, trying to sound annoyed, though the grin on his face gave him away. “ _Jeez_.  I could say the same to you, you know!”

“I won’t tell, I promise!”  They laughed for a moment, and Ann briefly wondered how her father would react if he knew _this_.  She quickly pushed those thoughts away.

“I know, I know.  But…”  His laughter died down and he frowned slightly.  “What am I going to say?  I still feel like I’ll look like an idiot if I just go knock on their door and say ‘ _Hey, I’m gay, can I ask for your advice?_ ’  You know?”

“Well…”  A thought popped into her mind.  It was a very risky thought, which could possibly make things worse with some of her other friends, but…  “What if you suggested something?”

“Like what?”

“Well, Skye’s dream is to be a chef.  Maybe if he knew that the Seaside Lodge is just _rented_ by Kai every summer and it’s perfectly open to be _bought_ …”

“…Since when do you hate Kai?”

“I _don’t_ ,” she stressed, not wanting him to gt the wrong idea.  As far as she knew, Rick was the only one who really hated Kai.  Maybe Won too?  She’d heard a rumor back during the summer than he’d broke Kai’s ribs, but Kai wouldn’t admit to anything, so she couldn’t be sure.  She certainly couldn’t fathom _why_ he’d do it.  “But it was my dad who kicked Skye out, and I feel terrible.  He was so happy having a job cooking, even if it wasn’t exactly what he wanted.  He needs it more than Kai, and he won’t even be back for over half a year.  But Cliff and Kai are friends, so I can’t tell Skye myself.  But you…  If you helped Skye, I’m sure he’d tell you anything you want to know.”

“Yeah…”  Rick nodded to himself, thinking the idea through.  “That could work.  Thanks Ann.  I really appreciate this.”

“No problem!”  She was helping multiple friends at once; how could that be any trouble?  “But hey…  Who’s this guy you’re into anyway?”

“Ah…”  She’d seen her share of flushed faces between Cliff and Skye, but Rick’s red face trumped them both.  “I’m sorry, but I don’t…”

“No no, _I’m_ sorry!”  She cut him off quickly, not wanting to drive him off in embarrassment.   “I don’t want to pressure you.  But if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where I am!”

“Right.”  He stood and smiled at her, and he really looked a lot happier than he had when he’d first walked in.  “Thanks again.”

“Bye…”

Once he was gone, Ann leaned against the counter, a contemplative look on her face.  Rick, huh?  She honestly never would have guessed.  And though she fully knew it wasn’t any of her business, she wondered who Rick had set his sights on…

Well, she had a guess, if Karen’s tales of an odd friendship and those rumors about what had happened to Kai were true.  But she wasn’t about to jump to conclusions, especially when she didn’t really even know the second party.

Regardless of her curiosity, she sincerely hoped Rick could help Skye and Cliff and vice versa.  Seeing all of her friends happy would certainly be a nice change.

\---

“The oddest thing happened today.”

Skye might not have had a job in a kitchen, but they had a kitchen in their new home, and they had legally bought ingredients to cook with.  Well, for _Skye_ to cook with.  Cliff was more than happy to let him handle that.

“Oh?” he asked, figuring it couldn’t be too worrisome if Skye was so cheerful.  “What’s that?”

“Rick came over and told me about the Seaside Lodge being for sale.”  He said it so flippantly, as if that couldn’t possibly be an issue.  Well, he supposed that to Skye, it wasn’t.  It wasn’t as if he was friends with Kai.

“Oh…”  And if this was going where he thought it was going, he supposed it really wasn’t an issue with him either.  “That’s the place Kai rents every summer.”

“Yes, he did mention that.”  Skye paused to taste the curry, humming contently.  Cliff was getting hungry just smelling it.  “Kai is your friend, isn’t he?”

“As much as I can be friends with a guy I only see one season a year, yeah.  Rick can’t stand him though, especially since Kai is dating his sister.”  He was pretty sure that despite the short amount of time Skye had been around while Kai was still there, he could still have gathered that much.  It was painfully obvious how much Rick disliked his little sister’s boyfriend.  “…Are you going to buy it?”

“It’s an excellent opportunity,” Skye replied immediately, turning to face Cliff with a brilliant smile.  Cliff couldn’t help but smile too.  “I could cook there, year round.  I could even let Kai share it during the summer if he was insistent.  And I did more or less take out enough money to keep us comfortable for, oh, say the next fifty years, so it wouldn’t set us back.”

Cliff couldn’t say anything to that for a moment.  _Fifty years_ …?

“…Just how much money did you withdraw?”

Skye tutted and turned back to the stove, but Cliff didn’t miss the mischievous little smile he wore.

“Never you mind that.  What do you think of all this?”

Honestly, he was having a hard time thinking much at all.  He’d known Skye came from a wealthy family, but he hadn’t thought he was _that_ rich.  Hell, if that were all true—and he had no reason to think Skye would lie to him—then neither of them really needed to work.  But unless they wanted to travel or something, Cliff knew he’d need to keep his job to keep himself focused, and Skye needed one to show the town he wasn’t a criminal.

…Anymore, at least.

“Well, this seems like the perfect opportunity for your dream,” he finally said.  Cliff really didn’t have a dream job, but this was what Skye had defied his wealthy parents for.  How could he discourage Skye?  “I don’t see why you shouldn’t.  Besides, you’ll get very bored if you just stay cooped up in the house all day while I’m at work.”

“True,” Skye agreed, turning off the stove and getting their plates ready.  It was such a domestic picture they were painting…  Cliff absolutely loved it.  This, to be loved and accepted, was his dream.  He’d found it, and now he just needed to maintain it.  “I’m glad you agree, because I plan to see the mayor in the morning.  He sold me the house, so I’m sure he’ll say yes.  I’ll just have to hope I’ll get customers.”

Cliff didn’t doubt a few people would go to Skye over the inn, if only because he knew there were people who didn’t agree with Doug’s actions.  Whether it would be enough to support a business…  As long as it was enough to feel satisfying to Skye, the money it brought in wouldn’t matter much.

_Fifty years security_.

Just how much money did his family have?

“But really, that wasn’t the odd part.”  Cliff shook away thoughts of Skye’s family for the moment.  Right, this had been about Rick doing something odd.

“Then what was?”

Skye placed a plate in front of Cliff, then sat down across from him.  He looked awfully amused.  Cliff didn’t know Rick very well, but he was an interesting guy, so he could only imagine what Skye was about to say.

“He wanted to know how I got the nerve to tell you I loved you.”  It was a good thing he didn’t have anything in his mouth, or he might have spit it out.  And Skye’s curry was far too good for _that_.  “See?  I told you it was odd.  But look at it this way—you’re not the only gay man in town!  And since he liked my advice so much, I don’t think we’ll be the only gay couple.  Well, assuming that merchant returns his feeling as Rick thinks he does.”

“Wait, Rick wanted advice about…  Won?  That shady guy who broke Kai’s ribs?”

“It was a labor of love, I suppose.” Skye shrugged, obviously not very concerned about it.  “That man will be my neighbor if I buy the restaurant, so I thought it best to encourage Rick to bear his feelings, seeing as he was quite sure they were returned.  I thought it might help one of our predicaments as well.”

“Y-yeah, I just never thought…”

“And I’m sure many people never thought that of you.  I never thought I’d end up bisexual.  If I had, I would never have…”  He trailed off, a pained look showing for but a moment before it disappeared.  “Never mind.  We shouldn’t let the curry get cold.”

Cliff agreed and dropped the subject for the time being.  He had a feeling this had to do with Skye’s family, and he wasn’t about to push the subject, no matter how curious he was.  Skye had been patient with him; now he would be patient with Skye.

\---

Zach didn’t think much of the boat that suddenly docked beside his own.  Honestly, if it would distract him from whatever the hell was going on between his roommate and Lilia’s son, he’d take it.  Not that he was bothered by the fact they apparently were more than just friends all of a sudden, but that didn’t mean he particularly wanted to see the son of the woman he loved kissing _anyone_.  He’s known Rick to long to not have that be awkward, no matter how happy he was for the new couple.

Still. The boat.  It was fancy, all right.  Whoever owned it was obviously very wealthy, though it was beyond him what a rich person wanted with Mineral Town, of all places.

“Excuse me.”  His admiration was distracted by the appearance of a beautiful young woman.  Long blonde hair, big blue eyes, a soft face…  If he were twenty years younger, he’d have been terribly excited at the look of her.  “Do you know if a man named Skye lives on this island?”

“Oh, yeah,” he affirmed with a nod.  “He’s lived here for a season or so.  Just bought a house across from the Poultry Farm with another guy.”  Another guy who was probably his lover, but Zach couldn’t confirm that, and he wasn’t one for gossip.  “You need help finding him?”

“No thank you.”  Her smile was sweet, but there was something about it…  Something that seemed very off, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.  “It’s far too late to bother him tonight.  But, perhaps, if you could show me to a hotel…?”

“Sure!  Well, I can show you to the inn, umm, sorry, I didn’t get your name.”  He held out his hand, grinning widely. “I’m Zach.”

“Claire,” she said, decidedly _not_ shaking his hand.  “The… inn, please?”  She spat out the word as if it offended her delicate sensibilities.  Who knew, maybe it did.

Zach awkwardly lowered his hand and quickly turned away, taking off towards the inn.  Well, all right then…  Maybe he shouldn’t have expected much from a rich city lady, but he liked to give people the benefit of a doubt.  He was _Won’s_ best friend, after all.

Whatever the case, he suddenly felt really bad for Skye.


End file.
